Stories and Melodies
by bluebloodedphantom
Summary: AU. She's a writer and he's a pianist. It's your typical boy meets girl story. Maka Albarn should've felt that it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. The thing was, she actually didn't believe it happened in real life. Especially, not between her and Soul Evans. (FINISHED)
1. Breather

**STORIES AND MELODIES: Geeking Out**

**I. Breather**

It was 10 PM. He was drunk. His friend was drunk and he found it unbelievably bothersome. How can someone who drank 10 cans of beer be so active and annoying? He should be fainting right now for Death's sake. "C'mon Bro! You've locked yourself up ever since the time that you broke up with that Blair!" The blue-haired guy slurred, tugging on his arm. Why was it so important to this guy anyway? He could do whatever the fuck he wanted in his life. Why'd he have to meddle with it? "I'm a bro, bro! Bros look out for each other. Just come with us, Soul!" He continued to garble.

"Blake, dude, drop it." Soul shoved his friend who was almost crawling on top of him while he sat down on his couch. Said guy toppled to the other side and lied down, laughing before he fell on the ground and began snoring. Soul stared at the 24-year-old male and kicked him on the shin which did nothing to the now sleeping guy.

Soul leaned back against the backrest of the couch and wondered. He had been single for almost a year now, but so what? He didn't need girls. He had enough girls who threw themselves at him so he could easily pick one and play around whenever he planned. At 23 years old, Soul could say that he had his enough fill of women in his life - enough, that he felt like he didn't want to be in a relationship for a long time.

Clutching his head, he stood up and walked over to the grand piano in the corner of his living room. He ran his fingers on its fallboard, his eyebrows furrowed. Even in his drunken state, he still thought of something; anything, to serve as his muse to produce his new piece. His mind had been blank for months and it was already starting to take its toll on him. It was so frustrating how he had been thinking so much and yet, nothing.

Maybe, he could come up with something now, he thought. He raised the fallboard and sat down on the piano stool. Positioning his fingers on the keys, he tried playing something. Maybe, tickling the ivories would help him somehow. Soul closed his eyes and let his fingers play as if they had minds of their own. His foot stepped on the sustaining pedal to prolong the notes. His eyebrows furrowed more. Something was missing and he didn't like how hollow the song sounded. Still, he wrote down the first few notes he played on a music sheet and tried to continue from there. He tried for a few more minutes, hoping that his mind would cooperate and produce something good but out of the pianist's frustration, he slammed his fingers against the keys and groaned. Nothing was working for him.

"You need a breather, bro." Blake drawled out which surprised Soul. He turned to his friend who was still lying down on the ground and saw that Blake already sat up and was looking at him with a smirk. "Just go out with us for once tomorrow night. Once. That's it." He said before falling asleep once again, his head hitting the floor.

For a moment, he thought about it. He won't lose anything if he actually joins them. His time? He had nothing to do anyway. Besides, Blake was right, even if he didn't want to admit it. He may be able to think of something. Maybe see a scenario or experience something that would inspire him to work on his new piano piece.

"Okay." He sighed to himself. "Going out it is."

* * *

"Maka, please, honey. You've been working on that story for one week straight. You need a break. Maybe, you need someone new too? Live a little?" A soft voice from her phone's speaker said. The girl on the other line sounded worried for her. Can't blame her, Maka thought. She had been trying to finish a book that she was writing and had been so focused on it that she actually forgot that she had a social life.

The 22-year-old writer heaved a sigh as she reread the last few lines she typed. "Listen, Tsu-" She started before repeatedly hitting the backspace button to erase the last few words in her story. "I really appreciate you looking out for me, but I really want to finish this book so that my publisher can read it already then, have it published. " She replied.

There was a small pause between them before Tsubaki, her long-time friend spoke again. "Are you still not over that guy who ditched you-"

"Tsubaki Nakatsukasa!" The now annoyed Maka grunted through her teeth. "I am so over Hiro. He left me for some girl, no big deal. I just-" She was put to a stop when she realized that she had been staring blankly at her computer's screen for quite some time. "I just don't feel like meeting someone new, you know?" She explained, hoping that her friend would understand.

Maka Albarn knew how her friends worried about her during that break-up with her ex-boyfriend during their first anniversary celebration. The oaf said that he'll just go to the restroom and didn't come back after a few minutes, so she decided to check up on him only to see him kissing another girl. Boy, did she do a round on his face that night. Still, she was sad for a few weeks and only Tsubaki and her other friends from college, the Thompson sisters, Liz and Patty, helped her get over the heartbreak.

Six months had gone so fast and there she was, writing novels. She already had one book published and she was doing well on her own. She didn't need someone for now. At least, that's what she told herself. "Blake's really hoping you could go." Tsubaki said which caught her attention.

Blake Starr; she smiled at the thought of her childhood friend. He was so loud and arrogant, a lot of people wanted to beat him up for it - even her. But even if that's the case, she was still thankful to him. He saved her a lot of times when they were kids. The world was so small really. She lost contact with him after he moved out with his foster parents, but who knew that he and Tsubaki would bump into each other in the same fitness gym and end up going out? It was such a surprise for Maka to find out who Tsubaki was dating. "Oh please, I bet he'd rather have some quality time with you."

Tsubaki giggled at her comment. "Ah, but don't think you've gotten away from the invitation." Tsubaki reminded. "Text me if you're coming. By the way, how's the story?"

It was then that Maka realized that she actually stopped writing already. "O-Oh..." She let out a sigh and leaned back against her computer chair. "Writer's block." She said, pouting to herself. "I've been thinking of a good scene to write but nothing. It's all a blank."

"See? You really need to take a break. Just go with us for a while. You can leave once there's really nothing in it for you." The Japanese girl on the other line pleaded.

Come to think of it, Tsubaki's right. Maka nodded unconsciously. Maybe she had been in her apartment for too long that her brain's not functioning well because of the lack of fresh air? She was already at the part of her story where she's building the climax, but she just couldn't continue from there. A little bit of fun wouldn't hurt, right? "You know what, Tsu? Fine, you win." A squeal of delight was heard from the other line and Maka just laughed at her friend. The novelist took a quick look at the computer's digital clock in the corner. "Ah, it's already this late?" Maka mumbled to herself when she saw that it was already 11 PM. "Just text me the details tomorrow. I'll be heading to bed early tonight. "

"Earlier than usual, you mean." Tsubaki teased and she couldn't help but laugh. "Just be sure to go, okay? That's a promise?"

She saved her work and shut down the computer before standing up and stretching. "Yeah, yeah, don't worry. G'night, Tsu."

"Good night, Maka."

* * *

The smell of liquor, sweat and raging hormones assaulted Maka's nostrils as soon as she set foot on the club that her friends lead her to. Talk about the breather Tsubaki was talking about - she could barely breathe in that place! But, there was no helping it, she promised to try and stay for a while.

Come to think of it, it had been a while since she hung out with Liz, Tsubaki and Patty. She shrugged and thought that she might as well enjoy the night as much as she could. Though, Maka groaned as some dancing girl with a very short party dress bumped into her, she doubt that she'll be enjoying herself to the fullest.

Underdressed. That was the perfect way to describe how she looked. She settled for a white sleeveless safari top tunic, black leggings and cream-colored doll shoes. Compared to her friends who were wearing party dresses, she looked terribly out of place. Not that she minded because she would rather be underdressed than uncomfortable.

"Tsubaki!" Maka heard a familiar voice and looked over to where it came from. It was so loud in the club and yet the shout of her friend's name was still piercing enough to be heard. The writer could not be mistaken of whom the voice belonged to. "Over here!" Maka's hunch was right.

There, on one of the tables by the blocked area, the VIP section, she saw the familiar blue-haired guy, waving his hands. Tsubaki went over to him and she, Liz and Patty followed. "Blake!" Tsubaki ran to her boyfriend and gave him a hug, which he returned. They part after a few seconds and Tsubaki looked over to her.

Maka looked over to the table. two other men were sitting there. She knew one of them. The guy with the jet-black hair with white stripes was Kid Death. He was one of Liz's classmates during college who became close with them already. The other one though, Maka took note of the man's appearance. He had a mass of silvery-white hair and even in the dark, she could easily distinguish how red the color of his irises was.

She didn't know how long she had been looking at him but she was snapped out of it when a hand suddenly touched her bare shoulder. "Maka! How've you been? Did you miss your wonderful, godlike friend?" She turned around to meet Blake who was smiling brightly at her. Before she could even respond, she was pulled into a hug by the said friend and she, herself, couldn't help but giggle.

Slowly, she raised her arms and awkwardly placed them around Blake. "Yeah, yeah, sure. I'm good. It's great to see you again, Blake." Was her reply.

"Ah! Let me introduce you to - wait, you know Kid already." Blake cut himself off and brushed Kid off who was waving and smiling at Maka. She bowed her head, still laughing, and waved back at the man. "That guy over there is Soul. He's a musician and composer. " Blake pointed the white-haired guy who was now looking at her. "This is the author friend I was talking to you about, Soul!"

For some reason, she felt self-conscious, as if Soul was judging her just by looking. "I'm Maka." She said, at loss for words. Why was he looking so intently at her? Did she have anything on her face? Either way, she tried to shake it off by holding out her hand to him. The said musician didn't seem to mind and shook her hand. Blake pushed her at the middle of the U-formed couch, she and Soul sitting next to each other in front of the table. Maka glared at her childhood friend who just winked at her before turning to his girlfriend.

"I'll be ordering the drinks then?" Kid said, taking what they'll be having. Maka decided to have something fruity so Liz suggested a strawberry peach margarita. Having all the orders memorized, Kid stood up and walked to the bar, Liz and Patty following him. Those three were such close friends. Maka swore that Liz and Kid would start dating as well, given the right 'push'.

Blake placed an arm around Soul and grinned, catching Maka's attention. "Did you know? Soul's so popular in the music industry that the club owner let us use this VIP table! Didn't know you're that well-liked, buddy." He earned a punch from Soul who shoved him off.

Whenever she gets the chance, the writer liked studying people's character. It was something that she began doing when she needed new characters back then. She could not get through Soul though and she couldn't help but wonder why. He looked so bored and tired yet he felt like he belonged in the place. He seemed famous but he didn't seem like the type to brag about it and yet his presence felt like he was boasting. The musician was already sending those kinds of thoughts to her - and he hasn't said anything to her yet!

Why was she here again? She had no idea. Maka definitely did not belong in that club. Blake and Tsubaki were talking and acting all lovey-dovey while Kid, Liz and Patty decided to go have fun on the dance floor after ordering their drinks. Maka noticed that she wasn't the only one though. Despite her earlier judgment, Soul didn't actually look like he was someone who partied as well with the way he was acting at that moment. He was simply looking at the walls with a blank expression.

The drinks came not long after Kid ordered them. She took a sip of her margarita and simply watched her friends interact, laughing along their jokes. A certain someone was pretty much doing the same thing she was. It was when Blake asked Tsubaki to go and join Kid and the others on the dance floor that she began to feel self-conscious. She was alone with this complete stranger (well, to her, at least). Scooting away more farther than she was would be kind of insulting, the writer thought. She decided to stay where she was, right next to Soul, their shoulders almost touching. She heaved a sigh before taking a sip of her margarita once more.

"You might want to take it easy there." Maka was startled when Soul suddenly spoke. "Doesn't look like it but the margarita they serve here is one hell of a traitor. That's gonna knock you out if you drink too fast." He warned before drinking his Martini. She could only nod as she set her glass down. He had been watching her as well then?

"Not to be rude or anything but, you seem quite out of place here." He placed down the glass and cleared his throat. "No offense."

Maka couldn't deny what he said. She was indeed out of place and she knew that from the very first time she stepped inside the bar. "No offense taken. You're actually right." She leaned against the table, resting her chin on her palm. "Wouldn't have come here if it wasn't for my writer's block and all. Though, I could say the same for you." She glanced at him and she was met with those red eyes that fascinated her the more she saw them. "You don't look like you're enjoying."

There was a brief second of pause from Soul, one of his eyebrows lifting for a brief second before he let out a sigh and smile. She caught a glimpse of the pianist's teeth and she wasn't sure whether the margarita was doing tricks to her sight because -_were his teeth really pointy?_ "A good judge of character, I see." He nodded. "Yeah, m'not a big fan of the crowd."

A nod from the writer immediately followed Soul's statement. "Me too. I'd rather be locked up in my room, working on my book or something though, I guess going out tonight wasn't such a bad idea after all. I got to unwind a bit. I've been on a writer's block a while now." She admitted.

The white-haired pianist looked at her and she's impressed at the fact that he was slightly smiling. At least that was an improvement. She wondered if that meant that he was comfortable talking to her now. "We're quite the same then. I just can't seem to think of a melody for a new song." He sighed, looking over to their friends who were enjoying themselves on the dance floor.

"Ah." Maka sat sideways, facing him. He looked back at her and met with curious, emerald eyes. "I've always wondered how musicians make music. I mean, how do you even start?" She inquired, cocking her head to the side.

That was _almost_ cute in Soul's opinion. No, actually, she's cute but, he's not about to say that out loud. "Good question." He crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "I don't really know. It came naturally to me, honestly, when I wrote my first song. Not to be bragging of course. Then again, it's different for everyone." He explained. "We're both writers so I guess you know the feeling?"

Her reply was a nod. "I wish the ideas came naturally to me too. I tend to think about a lot of things and I always end up over-thinking; at least that's what Tsubaki always tells me." She smiled. "I'm not much of a music fan though so I don't really know much about the industry," Maka began, hoping that she's not getting to curious but, she obviously was. "What genre of music do you play?"

The musician smiled at her, quite interested with the way she had been trying to analyze him since earlier. Yes, he did not miss those stolen glances and he definitely believed her when she said that she tends to over-think. "Y'know, I get the feeling you've been trying to figure me out earlier," He started which made her bite her bottom lip and her eyes widen. He was sure she went red for a few seconds. "How about trying to guess?"

"I wasn't trying to figure you out - well, I was but that's sort of something I do. Don't take it the wrong way." The girl lowered her eyes and let her gaze fall to her lap.

Soul was, undeniably, interested in this girl. Her expressions were cute and she seemed like she could understand him. "Nah, that's cool. Great over-thinker, right?" He smirked when she raised her head to look at him, a sheepish smile on her face. "If it makes you feel better, I was trying to 'figure you out' as well earlier."

"Oh." The author opened her mouth to ask why but she just settled for another 'oh' and slightly nodded her head. "Ah, yeah! Uhm, you play... rock?" She hesitantly asked.

The young man could only chuckle. "I get that a lot. Do I really look like someone who head bangs and _rocks out_?" He asked.

"Want me to be honest?" Maka challenges and again, Soul found himself laughing.

He waves off his hand before looking back at her. "I kinda have the feeling I know what you'll say," He told her, watching as she covered her mouth to hide her giggle. "But no. I actually do Jazz." Soul could see the way her eyebrows raise and her mouth slightly open. "You're judgmental."

"No!" Maka protested, puffing her cheeks as Soul laughed at her. "You just don't seem like the type to be into that genre?" She sighed and then smirked. "Okay, so _maaaybe_ I judge you there a little bit." She playfully did a hand gesture, as if saying 'just a tiny bit'. "Then again, I'm not familiar with that kind of music."

"Okay, what kind of music do you _actually_ listen to?" He asked, now curious about her. "You've been saying how you're not that into music but, you gotta listen to something at least, right?"

Soul could not believe how straight her face was when she gave him her answer. "Techno." She said, not even batting an eye. The pianist furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "Okay, now you're judging me."

His hand immediately covered his mouth to hide his laugh from her. "No, no, I'm not, geez." He said but he wasn't able to stop himself from laughing which earned him a glare from the young woman opposite him. "Techno, really? That's not gonna help you at all with anything."

"Does to!" Maka exclaimed, taking a sip of her margarita which actually remained untouched for the past few minutes. "They're fun and-"

"Auto-tuned and plain noise? Yeah." Soul smirked, chuckling when Maka lightly hit his arm with her hand. Looks like they've warmed up to each other already, he thought. "I didn't see you as the type who'd listen to techno trash. I mean, you write. Won't music be your perfect companion while typing down your story?" He asked.

Maka shook her head. "I don't listen to music when I write. Somehow, I get distracted." She confessed, pouting.

The pianist nodded at her statement. "Because techno is never a good choice of music. I should introduce you to the good ones." He let his arms fall to his side, smiling at the young woman. "Of course if you'd let me touch your playlist of techno songs." Soul mocked, closing his eyes but slightly peeking to look at her reaction.

It was hilarious, seeing the look of disbelief in her face. "Oh, please, be my guest." She grumbled. "Just make sure your good 'ol recommendations would really help me." Trying to figure out whether she was pissed or not, Soul opened his eyes to look at her. For a moment she scowled at him. He tilted his head and she simply laughed. "Be thankful I'm not in the mood to argue."

"Aye." Soul shrugged which made Maka smile. "What is it you write then? I'm sure I could help you out once I know what your book's about." A raise of an eyebrow was Maka's reply to the young musician and he knew what she's thinking. "You want me to guess?"

Nodding her head, it was Maka's turn to smirk. "Well, it's only fair, isn't it?" She grinned.

True, Soul thought. "I'm pretty bad at guessing but I'm guessing... romance?"

"And, why romance?" She asked once more.

"Because," Red eyes met with green ones. "You look like someone who enjoys love stories that make people's hearts skip beats?" He hesitantly answered.

She laughed and Soul cocked his head to the side, wondering why she was. "As much as I do like a good romance, no." Maka shook her head. "I write mystery novels." She informed him.

That surprised him. "No romance?" He asked. "C'mon, there's gotta be romance in there somewhere. Heck, even Harry Potter had romance in it."

"Nope, I've never added a touch of romance in my story; though, I've been reading some things online and my readers are already beginning to 'ship' my two main characters together. They're really hoping Danielle and Reginald become canon." Maka explained, taking another sip of her margarita before setting it down on the table. "Internet's really the home of good artists and... well, the creepy ones, sometimes. But hey, I'm thankful they support my series like that."

Soul only looked at her with a confused face. "Ship? Canon? Are we talking about some mysterious pirate story here?" He inquired.

The ash-blonde author laughed at the question which confused him more than he already was. "Ah, I'm sorry. I just assumed everyone's into the whole internet slang." Maka said, wiping the side of her eye. "A ship is the short term for relationship. And then, shipping is sort of... well, it actually is synonymous to 'wanting-two-people-to-be-together'," Maka gestured quotation marks with her fingers. "And then, canon is something that happens in the story that is actually according to the author or the creator." She explained.

The pianist nodded, taking the information in. "Ah, so that's what's it is." He mumbled. "But, you make it sound like you're not going to make your protagonists 'canon'." Soul commented.

Maka nodded. "Honestly, I have no idea yet." She admitted, leaning back against the backrest. "I feel like Reginald is really complicated and that Danielle needs someone who will understand her better. Also," She paused, reaching out for her drink. "I'm not too confident with how I write romance stories. I just... never had a good reference, you know?" She took a sip and Soul wondered what she meant by that. "What got you into music?"

The question caught him off-guard. He should've expected that a curious writer would ask about it. "You ever seen something that made you feel like you want to do it as well because you want others to have the same feeling you got when they're the ones watching you?" Soul smirked, leaning on the backrest like she was earlier.

"I know the feeling!" Maka exclaimed, surprising Soul. "It's like, you want to inspire them, right?" She smiled. looking at him. "Like, it's magic and they draw you in and then, you wish you could cast the same magic to people." She described.

The white-haired musician nodded his head. "You are indeed a writer." He chuckled. "Those descriptions are quite on point." He agreed.

A harsh coughing stopped them from conversing. The two of them followed where the sound came from and saw Tsubaki and Blake already in front of them, across the table. "You two done with your geek out session?" Blake smirked.

"Excuse me but we weren't _geeking out_!" Maka protested and Soul nodded in agreement. "We were merely discussing!" She groaned afterwards when Blake gave her a mocking face.

Tsubaki patted the blue-haired guy's shoulder and he stopped from his crazy antics. "Well, sorry to interrupt your discussion but you might want to take a peek at the time, pigtails. _Waaay_ past your bedtime."

Maka took out her phone to look at the time. Her eyes widened after seeing it. "It's already one in the morning!" She gasped. Time does fly when you're having fun, she thought to herself. "Where're the others?"

"Kid already went off since Liz had too much to drink and Patty..." Tsubaki stopped, scrunching her nose as if trying to think of the appropriate words to say. "Let's just say she got way more hyped than she usually is." She explained and Maka had to grimace because she knew what Patty was like when she's had too much alcohol in her system.

Blake looked at Maka who was taking one last sip of her margarita then at Soul looked at him as if he was so bored to be in his presence. "Kid told us to take you two home-"

"I have my bike with me, remember?" Soul reminded, scowling at Blake. The ash-blonde writer wondered why his mood suddenly shifted.

The blue-haired gym instructor grinned at his friend which only caused Soul to roll his eyes and scoff. "Well, guess we should get going then." He said.

Maka collected her things, made sure nothing was going to be left behind. When she stood up though, she felt really lightheaded which nearly made her stumble towards the table. "Hey!" Soul called, spreading one arm out to stop her from falling on the table and the other held her on the shoulder, stabilizing her. "Told you that drink was a traitor." He flashed her a smirk.

She was tightly clutching onto the sleeve of Soul's shirt and her breathing was ragged from the surprise. "T-Thank you." She mumbled, standing up straight. She looked up at him and, _when did we get this close?_ Maka immediately lowered her gaze.

"It's cool." Soul cleared his throat. _She's cute up close!_ He noted to himself, lowering his arms to his sides and averting his gaze at her.

Another sound of someone clearing his throat interrupted them. "Hey, you two wanna stay a bit more?" Blake teased which made the two step away from each other. He laughed and Tsubaki hid her giggles as they walked out of the club.

They silently walked towards the parking lot and Blake lead them to his old car, which he had been using since college, as he says. Soul on the other hand, walked to his orange Harley Davidson. "You sure you can drive, bro?" Blake hollered at Soul.

The silvery white-haired guy chuckled. "I had one shot of martini, you asshole. You mocking me?" He flashed his trademark smirk again which Maka was beginning to admire because, _damn, those are some sexy, sharp teeth. _The young man's gaze went to her direction and once again, their eyes met. The parking lot was well-lit. She could really, _positively_, confirm that his eyes were the nice color of rubies. "It was nice meeting you, _Maka._"

She couldn't help but smile at him. The way her name rolled off his tongue sounded really nice. She liked the ring to it. "Same here. I had fun tonight."Maka told him. "Thank you, _Soul."_

"I swear, you guys might want to get in there again and continue this _discussion_ you were having." Blake groaned and that's when Maka noticed that one; she was smiling dumbly at Soul and two; Tsubaki and Blake already entered the car. After one last wave, Maka went inside the car and Blake honked at Soul, as if saying farewell to him. Soul replied with his bike's horn and they both went off.

Maka was smiling to herself on the backseat, not knowing that Blake and Tsubaki was looking at her from the rearview mirror. "Looks like you two hit it off eh, pigtails?" Blake suddenly spoke which almost made Maka jump from her seat.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Maka countered, looking out the window. "He was fun to talk to and he seems like a guy I'd get along with since we almost have the same job." She further explained.

Tsubaki giggled at Maka's reply. "You two looked really cute together earlier, Maka." She informed her friend. Maka couldn't help but stare at her barista friend from the rearview mirror. "It's like... those _boy meets girl_ stories!"

"Please, you two," The writer started, giving them the 'you're kidding' face. "That was a friendly conversation. Yeah, sure, he was fun to be with but it doesn't seem like he's the person who I'd be seeing often, y'know? Besides, that went pretty smoothly. Those kinds of things don't happen in real life."

"I don't know about the whole story thing." Blake laughed, tapping the driver's wheel. "But, you got that right about not seeing each other often. Since you two almost never leave your apartments, I doubt you'll actually bump into each other somewhere."

"Who knows, dear?" Tsubaki smiled at her, actually looking at her now and Maka could only reply with a small smile as well.

* * *

It was already two in the morning when Maka reached her apartment. She immediately directed herself towards the fridge. She crouched down to get some water when her phone vibrated. She ignored it, thinking it was probably just Tsubaki telling her to lock her doors. She'd just reply later.

Grabbing a glass, Maka poured herself some water in it and drank. She didn't want to have any hangover or headache later. She was most likely to sleep till noon as well. The writer remembered her phone, already thinking of a reply to Tsubaki when she was put to a stop after checking. There was a text from an unknown number.

_Hope you don't mind me getting your number from Blake. Forgot to thank you for the great convo earlier so, yeah, thanks._

_-Soul_

Maka repeatedly blinked as she stared at her phone. Soul contacted her. That was really unexpected. She couldn't fight the smile that crept on her face as she typed in her reply.

_Even if I denied it earlier, I really felt like we were geeking out earlier. Hehe. I really had fun earlier so, thank you as well._

The author walked over to her room and began to change when her phone vibrated once more. She grabbed a loose shirt to put on, stripped off her leggings and plopped on her bed with her phone in hand. She opened the message from Soul

_Definitely geeking out. You should get some rest. Hope I didn't bother you or something. Good night._

Before replying, Maka saved the number and made sure she actually stored it in her phone. She took a deep breath, looking at the ceiling then at her phone.

_Absolutely didn't bother me, don't worry. You should get some rest too. Good night._

It was one of those times when Maka Albarn slept with a smile on her face.

* * *

**(A/N: So that's the first day of my SoMa Week entry! I had a really hard time this year. Not because of the stories, mind you. Problems after problems came but hey, I made it! Hopefully, I get to finish and publish all the stories in time. I only got to proofread the first few parts but I suck at that so, I apologize for the mistakes you might spot here and there. Anyway, HAPPY SOMA WEEK EVERYONE! Hope you enjoy!)**


	2. Not Cuddling

II. NOT CUDDLING

* * *

_Are you coming to Blake's party tomorrow?_

Maka read the text message from Soul. They've been exchanging messages, having friendly chats and those daily 'good morning's and 'how are you's text messages but they never actually tried to meet up after that club night - the first time they met - which was two weeks ago. It was impressive how they could talk about the most serious subject to the most random ones. This time though, they were talking about Blake's invitation to his birthday party.

_I have to. He'll throw a fit if I don't go. Are you?_

She replied before going back to her story. Again, she was at lost. Soul told her to take a break when she was feeling a bit confused or experiencing another one of those 'writer's blocks'. She actually obeyed him, though she doesn't purely acknowledge that she's doing it because it was his orders. She'd never admit to that. Maka stood up to walk towards her refrigerator and grabbed some rootbeer. She heard her phone vibrate against her computer table. She got her phone before sitting down on her couch and raising her feet on the foot rest. Slouching her position to be more comfortable, Maka read the text.

_Guess I'm going then B]_

The writer laughed after reading the text. He was being playful again, with all this 'cool guy' emojis and - she wondered, _can I even call this flirting?_ The young woman blushed at the thought of Soul actually 'flirting' with her. That can't be right.

_Great! I'll see you tomorrow then!_

She hit the reply button and thought about whether she sounded too eager or something. She settled her phone on her stomach, like she always did, watching it rise and fall from her breathing. Truth be told, she really wanted to see him. She enjoyed talking to him, texting him, telling him about things and hearing about things from him. The past two weeks, Maka felt a bit lighter since she had someone whom she could rant to and truly understand her frustrations and, Soul told also said that he felt the same and that the friendship was 'mutually beneficial'.

Not that she never could rant to Tsubaki, Liz or Patty before. It's just that, Tsubaki is a barista, she had recipes written down for her and sometimes, she does make her own mix of coffees and all that but, still, she had something to follow. Liz was a hairstylist, she's practically good with her hands. She asks customers what they want and she does it for them. Patty was an artist. She sells paintings, her illustrations are all over the place; magazines, newspapers, fliers. Though Patty seems her most likely go-to person if it's work related problems, the younger Thompson can't seem to get it because she was naturally gifted and she could produce anything out of anything in a matter of minutes. That wasn't the case for her.

She could say the exact thing for Soul. Blake was a gym instructor and a really hyper guy. Maka doubt if Soul could get the blue-haired monkey to sit still in a room for even a minute just to listen to his music or listen to his music problems and actually understand him. Kid was a bank employee. Though he's rational to talk to, he's got things to worry about as well and, she heard Kid wasn't very musically inclined, much like herself.

As for her, Soul liked telling her about music and she liked learning about music, to her own surprise. The things Soul introduced her to Pachebel and Bach just the other day saying that she probably heard one or two of their songs already. True to his words, Maka did hear 'Canon' and 'Air' before. He even joked about the Canon one, saying that it wasn't the canon in her field of work's jargon.

Also, the musician told her that she could understand him because the two of them share the same frustrations which is why he often told her when he was stressed or tired. Somehow, it became a mutual agreement between them that they become each other's go-to person to cope with stress.

The vibration from her phone sopped her train of thoughts and she looked for it. It somehow fell from her stomach while she was thinking. She patted the couch and found it.

_Want me to give you a lift?_

It was a simple question but it somehow made Maka smile. He was even willing to go out of his way to pick her up. As much as she'd like to though, she might be of inconvenience to him so she texted back.

_I don't know? Don't you live a little bit away from here? 5th Avenue, up town, right? The venue of Blake's celebration is nearer to your place. You don't have to go out your way to get me. I can take a cab._

The musician's reply came quicker than she expected.

_Don't care. 'Sides, I already told Blake I'm picking you up. So, 4 pm?_

Maka forgot how Blake told her how stubborn Soul was. So this is what he meant by stubborn, Maka thought, unconsciously smiling a bit wider than earlier.

_Looks like I can't stop you. 4 PM it is then. But do I really have to ride that death trap of yours?_

Soul stared at his phone, Maka's message to be exact. She agreed for him to pick her up. Though, he felt somewhat insulted. Did she just call his beloved bike, death trap?

_Hey, hey, this death trap you're calling is one of my most prized possession. Better watch your mouth, woman._

He chuckled, holding his phone in one hand and covering his eyes with his free arm. He had been lying on his bed since he woke up. And it was already one in the afternoon, for goodness sake. His phone's message alert tone rang and he raised it to his face to read the reply.

_Oh sorry, Mr. Cool Guy. Sorry for insulting your dearly beloved wife. :P_

The pianist laughed this time, sitting up and deciding that it was about time he start his day - or in his case, afternoon. He texted her a quick reply before heading to the shower.

_You better be. Oh, brb. Gotta go hit the showers and eat something. Or not. I'll think about it._

He got his boxers off and stepped into the bath, turning up the heat of the shower. The water was hot on his skin. He leaned both his hands against the wall, the water hitting his back. Again, he heard his phone from the outside and he smiled. Maka was probably going to scold him about not eating anything yet.

Sighing, he let his eyes lower down to his feet. He was really, really having fun, talking to Maka. She was, as Soul described her, different. Not the typical kind of person who'd just talk to him for the heck of it. He could feel that she wanted to help him, make his day better, assure him that he can do it. "Oh man…" Soul groaned, closing his eyes and letting out a huge sigh.

What were the chances that he liked this girl? Soul heaved out another sigh. A lot, probably. Was that possible though? Liking someone that much even if he just met her once in person and have been texting the past two weeks?

He let himself get drenched in the water before he got the soap and actually started taking his bath for a few minutes then started to rinse.

Stepping out of the bathroom with only his towel wrapped around his waist, he moved his way to his bed and took his phone to read that text earlier.

_Hang on, we've been texting for hours Soul! Why haven't you eaten yet? You're lucky I'm not there or I will spoon feed you myself! Go eat! Hurry up, geez, you dummy!_

Soul couldn't help but smile after reading Maka's message to him. She's too adorable, the musician thought to himself. He typed in his reply a few seconds later.

_Whatever. I'm gonna eat already; now, shh :P_

He settled his phone on the counter and walked to the fridge to get some milk for his cereal. He didn't feel like eating anything heavy today. In fact, he actually didn't feel like anything at all if only Maka didn't scold him. At least he settled for some cereals.

The young pianist spent his day trying to comprehend this strange attraction for his 'new' friend' while said friend contemplated on what she should wear for her friend's birthday tomorrow.

* * *

The sudden downpour of the rain made Maka stare at her apartment window in shock. It was 3:46 PM and Soul was on his way to pick her up with his motorbike and well, Maka shrugged, motorbikes don't exactly have a roof for the -

A knock on the door interrupted Maka's thoughts. She immediately ran towards it and the sight of a drenched Soul appeared on her doorstep. "Oh my gosh, Soul! You're soaked! And, oh no… are you cold?!"

"M'fine." He flashed her a toothy grin, running a hand through his silvery-white hair which stuck to his forehead. This action didn't go unnoticed by Maka as she noted how cool he looked. "Guess we can't really go unless the rain stops. Or, we can get a cab." He suggested.

Maka nodded in agreement. "No kidding. But I doubt we'll get a cab that easy. It's raining cats and dogs." She replied, walking to her bedroom but stopping when she noticed that Soul didn't follow her. "What're you still doing there?" She asked, turning to look at the pianist.

"You didn't invite me in." soul told her with a blank expression. There he goes with that expression again, Maka thought to herself as she watched the pianist stand on her doorway. "So, can I come in?"

Rolling her eyes, Maka walked back to the door and stood by the side. "Please come in, Mr. Evans. Welcome to my humble abode." She mumbled, imitating what seemed to be her impression of a butler. She earned a poke on the forehead from Soul as he went past her and stood on the doormat. "Stay here for a while. I'll get you a towel and… I think Blake left some clothes here that you can use." She proceeded to her bedroom.

Soul took note of Maka's clothes. Black leather pants, boots, a checkered black and red polo shirt over what seemed to be a plain, black tank top. Damn, that's hot, Soul thought before slapping himself lightly. Geez, what was he thinking?! "Hey Soul," Maka called out, nearly making him jump. "Can you call Blake and tell him about the situation?" She shouted from inside her room.

"Err…" He coughed, scratching the back of his head then composing himself. Thank goodness no one saw him. "S-Sure Maka." He said, fishing his phone out of his pocket. He searched for Blake's number and called it.

"YOU'RE TALKING TO YOUR AWESOME GOD, BLAKE STARR! What's up?" His friend shouted.

The musician groaned. His ear's probably damaged from that shout. "Yeah sure, a god alright. Make the rain stop if you're so great." He smirked when he heard the guy on the other line scoff. He knew he should just let it go since it was Blake's birthday but, annoying his gym instructor friend was one of his favorite past times - as long as the blue-haired monkey doesn't start hurting him, that is.

"Whatever bro." Blake groaned. "So what's up? This weather sucks." No kidding, Soul thought. "Where're you right now?"

Shuddering due to the cold, Soul tried not to sneeze. "Eh, I'm at Maka's apartment at the moment." He replied. "I got caught up in the rain.

There was a loud snort of laughter on the other line and he didn't know if he should be impressed or disgusted… maybe both. "HOHO!" Blake yelled, causing Soul to lean away from his phone. "I see…" Blake sounded mischievous. "I bet you planned this all up. You knew it was going to rain today and you want to keep Maka all to yourself! That's okay Soul. You should've just told me bro."

The pianist had a huge urge to smack his head on the white, concrete walls of Maka's apartment. "No dude! What the fu-" He stopped himself from saying the curse word so loudly and peering over the room where his friend was at. "-hell are you talking about? Besides, if that's the case, I'd be way better at planning than you are. Maka's your friend as well. Why would I want her all to myself?"

"Dunno buddy," Soul swore he could see Blake shrugging at his words. "You tell me."

"You're annoying" Was the musician's answer.

Blake laughed before Soul heard Tsubaki's soft voice call out to Blake. He couldn't make out what she said but he heard a 'damn' from the gym instructor. "Liz and Kid won't be able to come. Looks like it's a storm and it's pretty bad. Guess this calls for a resched."

If Blake admitted defeat to the weather, it must mean that there's really no way for him to push for the party to happen. "I guess that's for the best." Soul agreed.

"I'll just use this opportunity to spend some time with Tsubaki then!" Blake mentioned. "What about you bro? You probably can't go back home in this weather."

He's right, the musician thought. There's no way he's going to risk his beloved motorbike in this weather. Maybe, he can stay the night? He already secured his motorbike's parking anyway. But staying the night at Maka's... "I'll think of something." He replied.

"Maka's gonna insist that you stay over anyway bro." Blake said, sounding really sure about that. He didn't doubt it too. "Have fuuuun with Makaaaa!"

That voice Blake just let out sounded so malicious that Soul had to growl. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean? Hey!" It was already the familiar beeping that replied to him. He rolled his eyes, scowling at his phone.

"You okay there?" Maka asked from the bedroom. Soul heard the sound of closing cabinets. She must be coming out already.

He cleared his throat and straightened himself. "Yeah." He shouted. "Blake's just being weird again." Soul reasoned out. It was true though. What on earth was Blake thinking anyway?

"He's always weird." Maka emerged from the room holding some pieces of clothing. "Sorry I took so long. Had to find these." The author raised the clothes in her hand. Soul wondered whether those will fit him. "What did he say?" She asked.

The pianist tucked his hands in his pockets, making sure to leave out the unnecessary parts of his conversation with a certain birthday boy. "Just that he might reschedule the party since the rain's being a party pooper." He said. Clearing his throat, he looked at Maka who was smiling at him, still holding the clothes in her hands. "You look err… great, by the way."

Maka suddenly looked like a fish out of water before color flooded her cheeks. "T-Thanks?" She gulped, playing with the hem of her polo shirt. "You look great as well… minus the whole, drenched in water part." She smiled shyly.

"Whaddaya mean?" Soul cocked his head, smirking at her. "Isn't the wet look a thing that girls like?" He asked, chuckling when Maka's cheeks turned a darker shade of red.

The author shook her head, giggling. "Whatever, dork." She said, handing the clothes to Soul. "Bathroom's over there. That door to the right." Maka pointed out. "There's hot water if you'd like. You should take a hot shower so you won't catch a cold."

Soul followed what he was told to do after thanking Maka. He entered the bathroom, the smell of strawberries and mint quickly invading his nostrils. This is where Maka takes a bath. He felt like he was invading her privacy all of a sudden. Her bath's really clean, Soul noted. Stripping his clothes and placing the replacement clothing that Maka got for him on a shelf, he got in the shower, much like how he did yesterday and earlier today only, this wasn't his bathroom.

A slight turn of the shower knob and water was already pouring down on him. It was cold at first, making him gasp and shiver afterwards but, the water slowly went from cool to hot. The hot liquid slid on his back and he sighed in relief. At least I'm not cold anymore, he thought to himself.

Once he felt like he's fine already, he got the towel provided for him and got in Blake's clothes which, to his surprise, fitted him nicely. Blake may not look like it but he had broader shoulders than Soul. He wasn't exactly buff to begin with. Making sure that his hair was dried and that he was already as decent as Blake's clothes allowed him to be, that of a black KISS band shirt and jersey shorts, the pianist stepped out of the bathroom.

Another scent welcomed him and this time, it was the scent of coffee. Just in time as he went out of the bathroom, Maka came out of what seemed to be her kitchen, carrying a tray of mugs which probably contained coffee. Next to it are two more small containers that Soul deduced as cream and sugar. "I didn't know how you liked your coffee so I made it black. There's cream and sugar here, if you'd like." She settled the tray on the wooden coffee table in front of her couch. To his disappointment, she already changed out of her clothes and was wearing an oversized shirt that had an emblem of what seemed to be a wolf and plain black shorts.

"Thanks." He smiled, rubbing the towel on his hair. Soul watched as she sat down on the couch. Guess he's going to have to sit next to her again, much like at that night out weeks ago. Not that he minded it. He walked over to her and sat down beside her.

Maka gave him a smile as a reply before adding two teaspoons of cream and a cube of sugar in her coffee. She stirred it, looking out the window. "Blake should've asked Tsubaki's help planning his birthday party. She never forgets to check the weather when planning for something." The author said, taking a sip of her coffee. Soul nodded in agreement, putting two cubes of sugar in his coffee. "I mean, there's a typhoon today."

"Really?" Soul wondered how long has it been since he last listened to the news or watched the television or even read the newspaper. He had been so focused on his song, which he managed to start writing but he's, again, lost at what to do next. "Seems like everyone's been busy then if no one found out that there's a typhoon today."

It was such a mystery to Soul how the two of them are so casual around each other. He finds comfort in talking to her. It's not just this incident but those times that they've been texting and during their first meeting as well. He had no problems talking to her at all.

"In case you're wondering, no, I'm not going to let you go out in that rain." Maka said, crossing her arms. "Blake texted me about letting you stay here for the night."

Nodding his head, Soul was actually glad Blake at least took the initiative to tell Maka about that. He didn't know where to start. "Thanks Maka. I owe you one."

She waved her hand in front of him. "Nah, no biggie. Anyway," Maka said, looking over to her television set before looking back at him. "Want to watch some movies?" She inquired.

That wasn't such a bad idea. At least they don't have to talk the whole evening. Again, not that he minded. It's just that, he was feeling anxious that he might bore her out or that he might say something she won't be happy about. Usually, he's careful about talking to others but this is the first time he felt that concerned about it. It's like he's trying to calculate his every move when he's with her and he doesn't know why.

Was it to leave a good mark on her? Soul didn't know. All he knew was that as much as possible, he wanted to make sure that they're cool and that Maka's comfortable around him. He nodded his head to her offer. "Yeah, that'll be a good way to pass some time." He answered.

They ended up watching a movie called 'Memento'. Then, Maka suggested that they watch a suspense movie so she dug out for her copy of 'The Shining'. He had heard of these movies but he had never been a huge fan of those which is why he was impressed to find out that he actually liked watching movies. That, or that he was just enjoying how she curled up into a ball next to him when the suspense kicked up or how she jumped slightly during those jump scare scenes. Maka even grabbed the sleeves of the shirt he was wearing during that one scene in The Shining.

It was during their third movie, Hugo, when Soul noticed the author touching her neck and bending it slightly to the side. "You okay?" He asked, looking at her.

"Hmm…" She mumbled and the pianist raised an eyebrow at her. "My neck's just hurting. Probably just tired from all that typing and stuff I've been doing." She replied, still watching the movie.

Soul didn't respond which made Maka look at him. He tapped his shoulder. "Y'know, you can lean on my shoulder, if you'd like." He suggested, smiling at her. "You're tired and I actually feel bad you have to entertain me when you're already letting me stay."

"Which you'll probably do as well." She interjected and that earned her a raise of the eyebrow from the musician.

Sighing, Soul shook his head. "Who knows?" It was Maka's turn to raise an eyebrow at him. "Okay, okay, I would do that." He chuckled when she let out a giggle. "Just do it, Maka." He wiggled his shoulder which only made the writer beside him laugh out loud. "I won't do anything, I swear. I just want you to be all comfortable."

"I wasn't thinking that you're gonna try something, dork." Maka grumbled. She noticed how Soul slouched from his earlier sitting position. There's no harm in doing it, she thought to herself. With a gulp that she wished Soul didn't notice, she leaned her head on Soul's shoulder.

They were both silent and Maka did feel comfortable, having her head resting on Soul's shoulder. They stayed like that quietly, both of them enjoying the movie. Maka liked the movie a lot since it showed a quick glance of the history of film. Soul would ask her a few things and she'd answer his questions.

During the end of the film, Soul heard light snores from the girl beside him. He looked at her to find her sleeping, Crap, what should I do? He asked himself. Bringing her to her room was the first option he thought of but he might wake her up in the process and he didn't want that. She really seemed tired. It was nice of her to make time for Blake's celebration then, despite how exhausted she felt.

Carefully, he reached for the television remote in Maka's hands and gently took it from her. Soul searched for the power button and pressed it to turn off the TV. He then glanced at Maka who had wrapped her arm around him as she slept. Great. Soul sighed. It looked like he wasn't going anywhere so he decided to simply place his arm around her shoulders and rested his head on hers. He should at least try to be comfortable. He was sleepy so maybe he might as well grab the chance to snooze.

The morning after that was awkward. Very awkward. He woke up to a very red-faced Maka, looking up at him. The pianist swore his face could match hers - probably. They immediately jumped away from each other, the two of them apologizing about that and then telling the other that there was no apology needed. The author quietly cooked breakfast for the two of them and they silently ate as well.

Somehow though, Soul always found a way to go back to her apartment and she'd always invite him to watch a movie with her. All of those times, they'd end up sitting closely to each other on the Maka's couch, Soul's arm wrapped on her shoulders while her head was on his shoulders and her arm was around his waist, much like how they slept during their first 'movie night'. The only difference though is that they're awake and were watching the movie as this happened.

* * *

"In short, you really were cuddling?" Soul groaned at Kid's question one time after he and the bank employee met each other at their favorite burger joint for lunch. Kid was smiling playfully at him as if telling him something. Kid Death was a perceptive person and Soul knew that Kid was often right about his observations.

The pianist shook his head. Why did he even thought of talking about this? "No, Kid. For the last time, that's not cuddling." Soul said in annoyance. "You could say that we just got comfortable with each other?" He shrugged when Kid laughed at him.

"Soul, here's an honest opinion." Kid raised his hand slightly to stop his friend from saying further. "From what I see from you while you talk about her, you're happy. And from your stories, she's welcoming you and she seems happy too. I think that the two of you should try hooking up. I mean, if you're already cuddling-"

"Kid, geez, for the love of god." Soul rubbed his palm on his face. "We were not cuddling."

A groan was Kid's reply to him. "Well, whatever you want to call it then. I'm just saying, you two seem to make each other happy. Why not give it a go?"

If Maka liked him, why not? But he wasn't sure about that. What if she was like that to Blake as well? Maybe she's just really comfortable around guys?

"Nope. I doubt Maka does that with other guys." Tsubaki told him the next day after meeting up with Kid. He and Tsubaki would always see each other since he visited the coffee shop she worked at. He usually ordered a takeout but that time, he stayed and waited for her break time. "How cute. You two have been cuddling huh?"

"Why does everyone insist that what we're doing is 'cuddling'?" Soul asked, drinking his coffee.

Tsubaki laughed and Soul scoffed at her. "Because, you told me that she's hugging you while you have your arm on her shoulder while you're both sitting on a couch, watching a movie in her apartment." She replied in a 'as-a-matter-of-fact' tone. "That sounds like cuddling to me."

Whatever, Soul thought the next time he was in Maka's apartment. Again, they fell into that same position after a few minutes. They weren't cuddling. Definitely not.

Then again, he inwardly groaned when it was Maka's turn to confront him about it. "You're such a cuddly person, Soul." She mentioned all of a sudden.

"What? You're the one who always likes to get close to me." He protested.

Maka pouted and cocked her head to the side. "Would you rather that I don't?" She was about to raise her head from Soul's shoulder when the said pianist wrapped the arm which was previously placed on her shoulders, on her neck and gently pulled her closer to him.

He sighed and looked at the television. This time, they were watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. "I didn't say that, didn't I?" He mumbled, not looking at her.

The novelist giggled before sighing contently, her head now resting against his chest. "I thought so." She whispered, smiling to herself.

Again, Soul insisted, not cuddling.

* * *

**(A/N: My stories are so random. This was actually supposed to be for my first day. They were supposed to be geeking out over Game of Thrones but, geez, my mind betrayed me. Hope you like my second entry for SoMa Week! How's your SoMa Week so far? So many good fanfics and fan arts over at tumblr so you buddies check 'em out, m'kay?)**


	3. Inspiration

**STORIES AND MELODIES: _Catharsis_**

**III. Inspiration**

Her fingers moved as if they had minds of their own. With each press on the keyboard, her story grew longer, longer and longer. She would occasionally stop in order to read what she had typed so far but as soon as she finished and made sure there were no mistakes with her story, she began to type again, her fingers kept on going and going.

She thought of introducing a new character to her story. The male protagonist, Reginald, vanished all of a sudden like all those people in the school he goes to who went missing during her first book. Danielle, the female protagonist and Reginald's best friend, continued to solve the growing mystery of the people going missing.

When she had her writer's block, Maka Albarn got stuck at the part on how Danielle gets a lead about the case in her school. She figured, why not add a new character who was looking for his friend too? Danielle met Philip while investigating where it was that people last saw Reginald at; the library. Turns out that Philip's friend, Ian, was last seen there as well.

Maka enjoyed the interactions she thought of between Danielle and Philip. Danielle was witty and always planned her steps. Philip was hot-headed, impatient but clever. Their personalities often clashed but they always manage to help each other out. She liked the chemistry between them; liked how they worked together; how they banter and how they're obliviously attracted to one another. In her head, that is.

The author couldn't believe it. She was somehow adding romance to her story. She dated before but she never felt confident enough to be able to describe the feeling of liking someone. This time though, Maka was just so happy, so _inspired_ to write a bit of romance. She actually 'shipped' Danielle with Philip but of course, she's keeping her bias towards them at minimum because she didn't want to make it so sudden.

Sudden. Yes, everything that was going around her and a certain pianist was sudden. Maka thought of Soul. She already admitted the fact that she was really, _really_ crushing on Soul Evans long ago but, she just couldn't bring herself to actually try and make him feel that she did. Sure she dropped a hint once or twice like, when she began to invite him over for movie night or that time she teased him about the whole cuddling thing. Sure, it seemed like he was responding but, she really felt that everything was too sudden and she didn't want to jump to conclusions or move too fast.

Again, she let herself focus on her story. Her fingers were moving quickly again and she was amazed how she was already near the end of her second book. Philip was really a good addition, in her opinion.

"This is the first time in a long time that I've seen you type that fast." Oh right, Maka almost forgot that Liz was in her apartment, returning the items she borrowed from Maka last week. "Someone's inspired." She teased.

The author sneered at her friend then shook her head. "Oh please, Liz." She huffed, stretching her arms. "I just got over that major writer's block. At least I've got a solid idea on what I want to happen in my story now, rather than those random things I've been typing the past weeks." Maka explained.

Her brown-haired hairstylist sat on the chair near her computer and looked at her with a mischievous gaze. "I see." She nodded her head. "I wonder if a certain _white-haired pianist_ helped you out." Liz cooed which made Maka cough.

"W-What's Soul g-got to do with this?" The ash-blonde writer asked after her fit of coughs.

"Come on, Maka!" Liz chided, which made Maka wince. "You two have been 'hanging out' for so many weeks already and it's obvious that you've got a thing for each other!" She continued. Maka sighed, giving Liz an exhausted look. "I've heard about your movie nights, Maka. Oh and please don't deny how your eyes lights up when he's suddenly mentioned."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Maka protested. "No they don't!" She met with Liz's questioning eyes, as if they're saying '_oh really?'_ to her. The young woman sighed in defeat. "Am I that obvious?"

"No shit."

Maka leaned her head on the table and groaned. "It's just so… so great, you know? If that were to happen. I mean, I met him, we hit it off and it's just amazing? Nothing's too perfect in real life." She mumbled before raising her head. "Besides, Soul probably doesn't see me that way. He's just… friendly?"

There was a loud scoff coming from Liz, as if she was exasperated with what she was hearing - which she really was - but she really couldn't blame Maka. After all, with all those past relationships, '_failed ones', _Liz added as an afterthought, it's kind of hard to just trust that everything will go smoothly this time. But she had a good feeling about Soul and Maka and she wished that Maka shared the same enthusiasm she had for them. "Listen, Maka. Someone's who's just being friendly with you wouldn't go here from who knows how far, just to watch a movie and stay with you all night." Liz explained. "Plus he's not really the kind to leave his apartment, according to Kid but, now, he's often over here at your place."

Maka wondered. If what Liz said was true, maybe-

The author shook her head. _Better not get my hopes to high, _she reminded herself. "Maybe, you're just thinking about this too much Liz. Like, reading the situation wrong or something."

"And if I'm reading it right and you're just, you know - being your old, pessimistic self again? Where will that take you?" She asked, as if taunting Maka. Liz always liked to challenge Maka because she knew that the young writer liked the challenge and worked better when dared. That's just how Maka was. "You've always taken the risks before, Maka."

The ash-blonde girl just looked at her computer screen and began typing again. "All those risk I've taken, if you remember correctly, were pretty much failures in the end though and you know it." Maka reminded.

"Come on! I mean, sure, your first boyfriend was a jerk, the second one was a much bigger jerk and Hiro was an asshole to you but, you never know." Liz crossed her arms in front of her chest and Maka only rolled her eyes. The brown-haired girl was about to speak again when a knock on the door interrupted her . She looked at Maka who was looking back at her with a confused expression. "That's definitely yours but, seeing you're so busy, I'll get it for you, dearie." Liz said which only made Maka and nod her head as thanks.

Maka focused on her story once again, wondering who could've been visiting her at 11 AM. Maybe it was that new neighbor who moved in yesterday or, that pizza guy who always seem to knock on her door by mistake. _Mistake, yeah right._

"Oh Makaaaa." Liz called out in a teasing tone that made her look up from her monitor. "Someone's visiting you!" Her friend hollered.

Maka stood up and looked where Liz was. Liz stepped aside and there appeared Soul, smiling at her. She swore her heart skipped a beat or two. She glanced at Liz who had her arms crossed once again but this time, she had a triumphant look on her face. "Sorry about that, I didn't know Liz was here. Did I interrupt-"

"Nope! I was just about to leave!" Liz announced, running towards Maka's couch and grabbing her bag and stopping in front of Soul. "Your arrival, my friend -" She gently patted the pianist's shoulder repeatedly, looking back and forth at him and Maka, to the author's embarrassment. "-is the completion of everything I was fighting for since earlier. You came at a perfectly great time!" She grinned at the young pianist who was now looking at her in confusion. "Now, we shall talk about your _magical rendezvous_ later Maka!"

Maka gaped at Liz, not believing what she just said while their earlier topic was inside the room with them. "L-Liz! You-!" She was not able to continue what she was about to say after Liz ran out of her apartment door, leaving a confused Soul and a mortified Maka behind.

"_Magical rendezvous?"_ Soul repeated, as if looking for answers about what Liz was talking about.

The girl blushed a bright shade of red, to Soul's curiosity. "I-I didn't really know what she was talking about." Maka replied, gulping. She hoped that Soul would buy that excuse but, knew that he won't. "Anyway, Liz is just being her weird self again, sorry about that." She rubbed her right arm with her left hand, a gesture that she did when she's embarrassed, Soul noted. "What brings you here, by the way?"

Soul raised the paper bag he had been holding earlier. "Got some cake from Tsubaki's coffee shop and I figured I'd give you some to help you relieve some stress since you said you're-" Soul fished his phone in his pocket and swiped before showing it to Maka. "-busy as a beaver." Maka laughed when she realized Soul was quoting her text from earlier this morning.

"Thank you." She punched his arm lightly. "Come on in. Let's eat that cake together." She ushered him in. Maka got two small plates and a pastry cutter with her as Soul settled on the couch. "Really, Soul, thank you for this." She smiled.

"I wonder though. Did I come at a bad time?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "Nope! Not at all." She replied to him, smiling. Soul took out the cake and she sliced for the two of them. "I was just about to finish up with my story. Probably two more chapters?" She mumbled. _This cake is good!_ She thought, savoring the taste.

"Oh really? How's it going then?" Soul asked, leaning back on the couch's back rest.

"I tried… well, adding a bit of romance." Maka mumbled meekly.

Soul nodded. "I'm guessing, you added a new character then?" Maka looked at him, her eyes widening. "I mean, I totally know what you meant back then at the bar. Can't see any other relationship between Danielle and Reginald other than friends. You totally wrote them off with a platonic setting." He commented.

Blinking repeatedly, Maka tilted her head at him. "You mean… you've read it?"

"Yeah well, I mean, I got curious and hey, I'm your friend. I should at least, support your works, right?"

Maka couldn't explain how happy she was after hearing that. Soul admitted to her some time ago that he wasn't that interested in books or novels but he actually made time to read her work. "You didn't really have to though."

"I wanted to." Soul said. Maka's eyes met with his and she could see the assurance in them. She looked down on the cake, quietly eating again.

"Thanks. But you know," She mumbled. "Tsubaki's probably the only one who read my work." The ash-blonde writer chuckled, scratching the back of her head. "But, you know Tsu. She's exceptionally kind."

The pianist simply nodded, chuckling along with her. "Well then, maybe I can be classified under the 'exceptionally kind' category as well?" He smirked when she let out a burst of laughter. "By the way, what made you write romance? What happened to that _never had a good reference'_ thing?"

"I-I…" Maka placed her plate on the coffee table and placed her hands on her lap. She didn't know how to answer that without giving herself away. After a few seconds of thinking, she settled with a: "Let's just say, I had a surge of inspiration?" She gave him a sheepish smile afterwards.

There was something in Maka's smile that made Soul gulp and take a deep breath. It was something that he couldn't really explain yet, he somehow feels like he knew what it was. Suddenly, he could hear this melody that he wanted to make and he was amazed how his heart was beating so quickly all of a sudden. The sensation was astonishing and he was sure it was because of her and the way she was looking at him.

"Y'know, I'm glad I went here today." Soul told her, his voice more gentle than usual.

There was something about the musician's gaze that prevented Maka from looking away. "Why is that?" She could only ask.

"Let's just say, I had a surge of inspiration." He repeated her words only, his tone was much firmer than hers. It was as if he was trying to tell her something with those words.

They looked at each other for seconds, maybe minutes. Maka didn't really knew how long. All she knew was that she wanted to say something. She wanted to confess that he's the reason why she's pouring her heart out in her story. She wanted to tell him that he was her inspiration.

Soul had the same feeling. From the moment they met until now, he had learned so much. He began to think of melodies easier. He was happy because of her. He wanted to tell her a lot of things like, how he just thought up of a melody just by looking at her eyes, how he liked being with her, how he looked forward to seeing her. He wanted to tell her about everything.

But neither talked. Both remained silent, hoping that they'd somehow convey what they want to say through their gazes.

Soul cleared his throat. "Ma-"

A knock on the door broke their eye contact. Liz came walking inside after opening the door. She looked at the two who somehow was sitting next to each other closely after their whole staring moment. "Excuse me. Hope I didn't interrupt you two. I forgot that I was charging my phone." She mumbled.

Neither of them replied. Maka just rolled her eyes and Soul chuckled. "Actually, I was going to go as well. I managed to think of something and I should go before it vanishes, y'know?" He explained.

Liz took her phone and smiled apologetically at Maka. The two of them stood up, Maka accompanying Soul and Liz by the doorstep. Liz went out first, waving before she went off. Soul was about to follow her when he stopped and turned to look at Maka. He was looking at her again but this time, he leans down to place a kiss on her forehead. "Err, yeah, see you Maka."

The young author stood there in shock. _Did he just…? Was I…? Souljustkissedme!_ There was a total riot in Maka's head and it all revolved around Soul. Her heart felt like it was going to burst any minute. Yeah, it wasn't a kiss on the lips or anything but, _I need to calm down or I'll blow a fuse or two_, Maka told herself.

She ended up in daze and actually, she wasn't able to type her story until it was an hour after Soul's exit.

* * *

The minute Soul entered his apartment, he slid down his door and sat on the floor. _What the actual fuck got into you?! _He buried his face on his palms, having no idea what to do. What if that made things awkward between the two of them? He didn't know what he'll do if that happens. "Great going Soul!" He growled.

He dug up his phone and was about to type in a message when Maka's name appeared on the screen. She was calling him!

Hesitantly and nervously, he answered the call. "H-Hey, Maka." He said, trying to sound alright.

"You're home safely." He heard her let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear."

That's right. He usually texted her when he's home already. "Oh yeah, sorry, I was kinda dazed." He replied. "I just got home actually."

"That's great to hear. " A short pause. "Thanks again, for the cake and-"Another pause. "-today. Thanks for everything you've done for me today." Her voice was quiet but Soul could almost see her smiling fro how her voice sounded like.

"No problem. T'was my pleasure." He said, a bit calmer now that they've talked.

"So, I guess I should leave you alone for now since you did say you're gonna work on something, right?"

Right! The melody he thought of earlier! "Oh yeah! Good thing you reminded me."

It was awkward, yes, but somehow, he felt like everything's gonna be just fine. "Good night, Soul."

"Good night, Maka."

As he lowered his phone, he stared at its screen for a few seconds before getting up and heading to his piano. He sat on the stool and closed his eyes. He was able to picture his muse easily. That one Maka Albarn. He imagined the look on her face as she said something about her inspiration. There was a possibility that maybe, a huge maybe, he had a chance. He didn't know when he began to feel this way towards the author but he knew one thing, he really liked her, _a lot._

Slowly, he lifted his hands to the keys and began to tickle the ivories.

Yes, he did spend his entire night pouring his emotions out through the piano and it was already morning when he finished. He knew the song as if it was something he had been listening to since he was a little boy. He wrote down on his music sheet as he did the melody as well. There was something so magical about it that made him sigh in fulfillment.

"Now all you need is a title." He said, talking to no one in particular. Actually, he said it to the music sheet and that was something he never did before.

He got his pencil and after twirling it around his hand for a few minutes, he wrote a title, stood up and dived into his bed.

_Catharsis._

* * *

**_(A/N: That was awkward, wasn't it? Oh and I totally wasted my day because my parents asked me to go to a family gathering and I suck at that so basically, I spent the whole seven hours of the family gathering trying my best not to look bored. And so, my chapter four tomorrow will be quite rushed. I'm really telling you now because it's gonna suck... probably... But I'll make it up to you cupcakes by... wel, let's not spoil things, shall we? Again, so many good SoMa Week 2015 entries on tumblr! Just use the tags: #soma week 2015 and you'll see all the great works made by the people in our fandom! ALSO! Thank you for all the feedback, it really helps me out a lot, no matter how short it is. Enjoy the rest of SoMa Week buddies!)_**


	4. Goodbye Kisses

**STORIES AND MELODIES: _Dragons_**

**IV. Goodbye Kisses**

* * *

**Soul E. (23:44): **_You mean to say, you've never watched it before?_

**Maka (23:44): **_No and you make it sound like that's unbelievable. It's not like I've watched every existing film on this planet. _

**Soul E. (23:45): **_I knew that but, c'mon, it's a very cool film. And besides, it just came out not even long ago. I was assuming you've watched it already._

**Maka (23:45): **_I haven't really updated my movies for years since I began writing._

**Maka (23:45): **_I'm actually surprised you like it._

**Maka (23:45): **_And I'm not judging you, I promise!_

**Soul E. (23:46): **_Har har Albarn. Of course you are._

**Soul E. (23:46): **_But I insist._

**Soul E. (23:46): **_For our movie night tomorrow, we're watching it! I'll bring my DVD._

**Maka (23:46): **_You have a DVD of it…_

**Maka (23:47): **_Dork._

**Maka (23:47): **_If you're so excited to have me watch it then, okay. We'll watch it.  
_

* * *

None of them spoke about the kiss on the forehead incident. It's as if there was a mutual agreement that they will not talk about it. It wasn't a bad thing actually. They've gotten a lot more closer since then, contrary to Soul's thinking that it may cause them to be awkward around each other. They texted and called each other a lot more.

Their usual movie night had to be postponed for a week though.

The two of them haven't seen each other for a whole week because of their schedules were suddenly packed and their means of communication went back to texting and calling. They missed each other a lot, though none of them would admit that too.

Soul was actually excited for their movie night. He packed his things, making sure that he had everything in his knapsack before driving to Maka's. It was four in the afternoon and he'd probably get to Maka's by 5:00 PM but he'll take that one hour drive everyday just to be with Maka. He was in some deep shit and he knew it all too well.

Yes, they did not talk about him kissing her on the forehead but somehow, he knew that she knew about his feelings and he could also tell that Maka felt the same. It's just that nobody's taking the initiative to actually take an even more further step forward but he's fine with it for now. Besides, all his thoughts about Maka liking him back were all his assumptions. What did he know? Maybe he was reading things wrong? He didn't really have enough basis about what she truly feels.

After a whole hour of driving. Soul arrived to his destination: Maka's apartment. He climbed the stairs and walked over to the furthest door on the left. The pianist knocked. Footsteps from inside followed and he couldn't help but smile when the door finally opened. There was Maka, smiling brightly as well.

"Hey." He settled for the small smile and short greeting.

"Hey." Maka replied, not quite sure what to do. She missed him a lot and she wanted to hug him but restrained herself not to because, _that would be embarrassing, wouldn't it?_

She mentally sighed. _Embarrassing, really? _ The two of them had been cuddling and Soul had already kissed her on the forehead. What could a simple hug do? Maka ushered him in like she usually did. The author noticed how the pianist never entered her apartment without her permission - like there was a spell on her door or something - and it intrigued her. "You do know you can enter without me telling you, right? I mean, I did open the door for you already."

Soul placed his backpack on the side of the couch, crouching down to find the DVD. "You noticed that huh?" He said. "I don't know why as well but I'd feel disrespectful if I go in here without you actually telling me to come in. Habit, probably."

There was something in his tone that made Maka unconvinced about his reply but she shrugged. Maybe it was just her imagination. "I see." She replied, nodding her head. "Oh and uhm, I already got the popcorn! Lemme just go get it." She skipped towards her kitchen, towards the oven to be exact. Meanwhile, Soul placed the DVD on her player.

And with that, they were back to their routine. Maka was proving herself to be a human-armadillo, curling herself into a ball next to him. She always started out like this but after the first few minutes of the film, she'd already be nudging him to place his arm around her. Right now though, the movie had been playing for almost ten minutes now and she's still curled up into a ball.

His selected movie was How To Train Your Dragon and like in their text conversation. He really couldn't believe that she haven't watched it yet. Not like he really looked forward to watching it. It's just his cute and adorable cousin, Travis, stayed over with him for a week and Soul bought a collection of animated film DVDs just to keep the kid entertained for a whole week without bothering him that much when he's working. Travis just dragged him to watch How to Train Your Dragon with him one day and to his surprise, he actually enjoyed the film.

But really, he thought Maka was the ones who would see the new animated films as soon as they're released in theaters because she talked about Brave with passion but she reasoned out that _'I find it great that Disney made such a good film like that because she doesn't have a prince, doesn't actually need one and she totally kicks ass! Women empowerment, yo!' _Her words, not his.

It's actually the first time that Soul recommended what they'll watch and Maka liked it, from what he was seeing which was a relief. It was a nice change. For once, they're not watching those heavy plotted movies. Not that he didn't like those kinds of films.

Soul watched Maka's reactions and expressions as she watched the film. She was so focused especially during the scene when Hiccup was trying to pet Toothless. The dragon's charm really works on everyone. "Awww, Toothless is so cute!" He heard Maka coo, her hands clasped together. He couldn't blame Maka. Even he thought that the Nightfury was cute. By then, Maka was sitting straight, all too absorbed in the movie.

The pianist was _almost _jealous with the attention that Maka's giving the dragon. Almost. Good thing she paused the movie only to lift his arm up and snuggle up next to him, resting her head against his chest and making his arm wrap around her. "Mm, there… much better." She mumbled.

"And you say I'm the cuddly one." Soul whispered, rolling his eyes at Maka.

Maka hit his stomach lightly. "Oh shush, you." She giggled, pressing the play button on the remote. She ate some popcorn which she got from the bowl on Soul's stomach who was slumped on the couch, resting his head on hers.

Maka was indeed very engrossed about the film since she would gasp, groan, laugh and do all sorts of reactions that was very much appropriate for the scene. "Are those two going to end up together?" She asked Soul when Hiccup was stopping Astrid from telling anyone about Toothless. "They are aren't they?"

"Good deduction skills, Sherlock." Soul said. smirking when Maka smiled happily. "Ship them?" He asked. He was definitely getting used to this whole _shipping_ and _OTP_ and all the other terms Maka taught him.

The girl nodded. "I mean, look at them! They're too adorable!" Maka pointed out.

"_You're_ too adorable." Soul grunted silently but Maka caught it. The two of them looked at each other and Soul made a failed attempt to cover his mouth by stuffing some popcorn in it and leaving the hand there on his face.

"I hope you know you're a dork, Soul." Maka grumbled, looking back at the movie but smiling in secret. She placed an arm around Soul's waist and continued watching. "But, thanks."

Maka was pretty much cheering when the movie ended especially when they showed that part when the dragons were already accepted and was living in Burk already. Soul got up (to Maka's dismay, she expressed it by rolling up into a ball again and pouting but making sure that Soul doesn't see her tantrum about him leaving her side for less than thirty seconds) to change the DVD and play the sequel. He pulled her to him once he sat down and flicked her forehead for no apparent reason. The author looked at him in disbelief and nudged her head against his arm which Soul actually found cute.

When the movie was already playing, the two of them settled back into their previous positions. "Wowzers, Hiccup went from cutie to hottie." Maka gasped at Hiccup's first appearance. "Puberty's kind to him." She added, but pausing the movie immediately afterwards.

"What?"

"Let me go get a soda." She smiled at him and he nodded. "Would you like some?" Maka asked Soul.

He was too focused on the potato chips that he was eating (because Maka ate popcorn too damn fast) and simply shook his head. The author darted for the kitchen and went back after a minute, holding a can of Dr. Pepper in hand with a straw. She curled up next to Soul who leisurely placed his arm around her shoulder and played the movie. The author quietly took a sip from the straw before raising the can towards Soul, the straw inches away from his lips.

The musician blinked repeatedly. Did she know what that would mean? _I'd be indirectly kissing her_, he thought. But she probably wasn't thinking about that. After all, she was simply raising it to him, inviting him to take a sip, as she kept her eyes on the television screen. He slightly parted his lips open and took a small sip.

Another contrary to Soul's belief, she was actually aware of the fact that they just had an indirect kiss but she only realized this when Soul actually took a sip of her drink. It would actually be rude if she pulled it back all of a sudden so she simply played it cool. After she felt that Soul was done, she settled it on her lap for a few seconds and then, she took another sip before settling it on the coffee table.

This girl was gonna be the death of him.

"Toothless is so cute I mean, look at him!" She pointed out during the scene where Astrid and Hiccup were talking about Hiccup becoming the chief.

"Y'know…" Soul started, amused. "A lot more people were probably be more thrilled to see Astrid and Hiccup all _lovey-dovey _ than watching Toothless on the background." He said.

The author laughed, shaking his head. "Well, they're cute, yes, but they're already canon so I'm expecting that already. Besides, they'd probably kiss by the end of the movie. Toothless, on the other hand-" She squealed when Toothless and Stormfly began their little 'head banging' dance on the background. "Look at that! Isn't he super adorable? I mean, he looks all tough and mean but then he's loyal and protective and super cute! He's like a big ball of fluff!"

Chuckling, Soul easily figured out who Maka's favorite character was.

A good few minutes into the movie and the revelation about Hiccup's mother is already on screen, Soul heard a sniff from Maka and he immediately looked at her to find her crying. He pulled her closer and she lifted her head to meet with a pair of questioning eyes. "S-Sorry." She paused the movie once again. "I just missed my Mama all of a sudden."

"Wanna talk about it?" Soul asked. He doesn't really know the right response to that so he went with the good 'ol, 'I'm-here-if-you-wanna-talk' kind of approach.

Maka shook her head and he felt a bit sad that she didn't want to open up to him. "After the movie, I guess?" She said and he felt his heart lighten. He drew patterns on her arm with his finger which seemed to soothe her. She stayed in his arms and played the movie.

When Maka began the second movie, she did not imagine to go through such a _feel trip. _Not only that the movie made her think about her mom but it actually made her cry her heart out when Stoick died and Hiccup got angry at Toothless for it.

Soul, on the other hand, was shocked at the sudden tears that poured out of Maka. He did not expect her to bawl. Sure, Maka had cried because of a few movies they had watched in the past (_A Walk To Remember, Ghost, The Breakfast Club, Forrest Gump)_ and yes, Maka had already watched these films but can't help but cry again. But, he never expected there to be this much tears from watching How To Train Your Dragon 2.

* * *

The movie had ended and Maka's smiling at Soul, drinking her Dr. Pepper as he looked at her curiously while they were both sitting on the couch. "Okay, so, I didn't know I should've brought tissues with me." Soul started.

"Kinda lost it, didn't I?" She scratched her head, laughing sheepishly. "Hiccup's just so lucky to have found his mother. And she actually knows what he looked like." There was sadness in her smile and the way her voice sounded. "My mom left me to my dad after she was fed up with him cheating on her. I was four. I never really understood back then why she had to leave me behind. My dad loves me but, he can't quit the whole womanizing thing." She explained and Soul stayed silent. "My mom would write to me every now and then and I'd write back to her. She travels around the world so I don't know if she received half of my letters or if she received any at all.

I look up to her, for following her dream and doing her best to be happy but, I really wonder why she never even visited me once as if she didn't care about me. So, seeing a mother really caring for her child just brings me to tears, you know?" She said, taking in a deep breath and closing her eyes.

"C'mere." Soul opened his arm out to her and she gladly crawled to him.

"Lie down, I wanna rest on top of you." Maka slightly pushed him. Soul chuckled and did what he was told. They were now lying down together on Maka's cramped, worn out couch but that was okay with them. They wouldn't want it any other way.

Soul patted her head, ran his hand through her hair and settled on the swell of her back. "Maka-"

"No, you don't have to apologize for anything. I loved the movies, Soul." Maka stopped him from saying anything - and he hasn't even started yet. That said something about the level of their relationship. "Ah, hey," Maka raised her head slightly to look at him. "Did you cry when you watched it?"

The pianist chuckled before shaking his head. "Cool guys don't cry because of an animated movie." He smiled.

"Oh, so you did cry then?" Maka teased, earning her a pinch on the side from Soul. "Kidding! I was kidding!" She laughed, hitting Soul on the chest with her fist. He stopped and stared at Soul who was pretty much doing the same. "You know Soul," Maka began, placing a hand on his face.

His smile faded and he gulped. What was she about to do? "Yes?"

"Your teeth kinda remind me of Toothless. Actually, you remind me of Toothless."

Well that killed his mood. "What?" He asked but then, remembered something. "Didn't you say Toothless is cute? Does that make me cute too?" His grin was back on his face and he chuckled when he saw her cheeks redden.

"No, yes, no - don't put words into my mouth Soul!" She rebuked him, glaring at him. He couldn't stop laughing though because, _she has the most adorable glare ever, _Soul thought. "Are your teeth even natural." She poked his cheek.

Nodding, Soul groaned. "They scared you off the first time we met, didn't they?"

Again, she placed her hand on his face and she noticed how Soul had stubbles on the side of his cheek. "No. I think they're cool." She confessed, smiling gently at Soul. "And like what I've said, you really remind me of Toothless."

"And why is that?"

"Because," They look into each other's eyes and they just couldn't look away. "the first time we met, you were so guarded and really intimidating," Soul rolled his eyes at that "but getting to know you better, you're this really sweet and caring and nice kind of person." She noticed how she's slowly leaning in towards him.

She also noticed how Soul was leaning towards her as well. "Yeah?" He smirked.

"Yeah."

Was this actually happening? They were inches away from each other and he could almost _taste her_ with how she's breathing into him. Oh, how he was a goner for this girl. "Maka, can I…"

They were slowly leaning in, their lips were inches away from each other when they were suddenly interrupted by the ringing of Soul's phone.

_Fuck!_

_Dagnabit!_

"I-It can wait." Soul told her but she shook her head,

"It might be an important call. I mean, it is, almost 11 PM." She smiled gently at him before she stood up. "I'm just gonna go clean this up." Maka then began to clean the coffee table before running to her kitchen.

Oh, he was pissed. He was pissed alright. He answered his phone. "What the hell do you want at 11 PM, Wes?" He growled.

"Woah, calm down Soul. Did I interrupt anything?"

_Oh, maybe you just interrupted me from kissing this girl that I like and maybe tell her how I felt for her afterwards?_

"No."

"Good!" He could hear Wes' usual 'that's-good-now-listen-to-me-while-I-tell-you-something'. "Meet me at the pizza parlor near your apartment. Where are you anyway? I knocked like, a hundred of times!" He said.

_No you didn't you asshole. You like exaggerating things._

"I'm not anywhere near my apartment." He replied, groaning.

There was a pause before he heard a sigh. "Listen, just meet me halfway then. You say the place. Gotta talk to you about something. Parents' orders."

Soul sighed at the last two words. _Parents' orders_. He hated it when his brother did that. "You know what, fine. Since you messed up everything anyway." He grumbled the last part inaudibly. "Meet you at that McDonald's on 5th Avenue."

"Gotcha."

From the corner of his eyes, Soul saw Maka emerge from her kitchen. "Maka, I kind of… have to go meet someone." He said, actually hating the fact that he had to go. He grabbed his bag and zipped it close, slinging it on his back.

"That urgent huh?" She said, her tone obviously cheerless.

"Yeah."

They were back to being awkward again and Soul wished he just ignored the call and insisted on kissing Maka. "You be careful, okay?" Maka smiled but immediately looked away.

"Maka-" He couldn't actually say something so he stepped towards her, his hand on her cheek. He lifted her face to meet with hers and placed a kiss on the side of her lips.

He pulled away shortly after and looked at her. "Can I kiss your lips?" He asked, his eyes all too focused on her.

There was something really annoying and adorable at the same time about Soul's constant asking for permission. "It's always okay if it's you, dummy." She whispered and Soul closed the gap between them.

The kiss was soft, almost too gentle but there was still this feeling of eagerness in it, both from Soul and Maka. What's holding them back is that they both knew he can't stay.

He wished he could.

The writer was the first one to pull away, placing a hand on Soul's chest. _His heart is beating so fast_, she noted. "So, urgent matter?"

"Yeah, I should get going." He unlocked her door and opened it. "Maka,"

She nodded at him, smiling. They'll talk about it this time. Just, not now. He'll just get the things with Wes and his parents done and then, they'll talk and settle this. "Be safe."

With one a quick kiss on her forehead, Soul walked off and Maka closed the door and stared at her apartment, the couch in particular. She brought a hand up to touch her lips. She could still feel the sensation of kissing Soul and she really liked the feeling.

Her gaze soon fell on the DVD case of How to Train Your Dragon 2 which Soul forgot after leaving too soon.

She smiled and murmured a little thanks before heading to her room, smiling even as she fell asleep, a certain pianist invading her dreams.

* * *

_**(A/N: You know, this is actually like the prompts for day 1, 2, 3 and 4 in one story. It actually has more relevance to the prompts than my previous entries so, yeah, shoot me. Anyway, I told y'all this'll seem very rushed xD Enjoying SoMa week so far? I'm havin' a blast! Check out the tumblr tag #soma week 2015 for more fanfics and tons of fan art from the artist of this fandom. They're amazing!)**_


	5. Cliffhanger

**STORIES AND MELODIES: _Night Swimming_**

**V. Cliffhanger**

* * *

**Soul E. (14:34): **_Maka, I'm so sorry._

**Maka (14:39): **_Oh, so you're alive._

**Soul E. (14:39): **_Things were complicated. I'm sorry._

**Maka (14:39): **_Three days, Soul. I waited for three days to hear from you again. Not one text!_

**Soul E. (14:39): **_You can beat me up once we see each other again._

**Soul E. (14:40): **_I didn't want to leave that night._

**Soul E. (14:40): **_I wanted to tell you a lot of things._

**Soul E. (14:40): **_And I don't want to tell it to you through text._

**Soul E. (14:40): **_But you know it already, I hope_

**Soul E. (14:41): **_Maka, please hear me put_

**Soul E. (14:41): **_*out_

**Soul E. (14:41): **_Tomorrow._

**Soul E. (14:41): **_I'll make it up to you tomorrow._

**Maka (14:42): **_You're unbelievable!_

**Soul E. (14:43): **_I promise. Just come, please?_**  
**

* * *

Maka stared at her conversation with Soul.

It had been three days -four days now, actually - since she and Soul watched that How to Train Your Dragon movie and kissed before he went off to meet who knows who at who knows where and yesterday was the first time she heard from Soul since then. She tried to contact him, text, call, heck, she even tried his Facebook account which he rarely used but, no response. All the negative thoughts ran through her head that time but she tried her best to keep things together. Of course, she tend to lose focus for a minute or two - maybe much longer.

Actually, she still can't focus up to now but, it was all due to an entirely different reason but still involved Mr.-Albino-pianist-who-vanished-all-of-a-sudden-after-kissing-her.

Also, she does not have any idea why she's in a party dress (of course she knows how she got in the party dress, she wore it herself; it's just why she had to wear it). Oh and she doesn't have any idea why she's in this fancy car with Tsubaki, Liz, Patty, Kid and Blake. She also didn't know where the driver was taking them.

Kid wasn't saying anything. He wasn't even in the mood. He seemed annoyed by something.

Even Blake was silent, for once. Maka knew why. He has a terrible motion sickness. He's probably trying to focus more on not vomiting than trying to think of something to say (as if he ever thought of anything he says).

"So, you know anything about this, Maka?" Liz asked, looking at her. She gave her a questioning look and the older Thompson shrugged. "I'm just saying, your boyfriend-"

"He's _not _my boyfriend." Saying that was harder than it looked. Maka had to swallow the lump in her throat because what is she and Soul anyway?

Everyone fell silent after her protest. Even Blake had to look at her. If Kid was annoyed, she was pissed.

What's the status of their relationship anyway? Soul pretty much implied that he liked her. After all, he did so many things for her and it was pretty obvious what those meant, though she really refused to believe it at first. Yes, he did almost everything except say that he did like her. It's not like she trusted words more than actions. It's just that she wanted to make it clear. But that's not what she was really mad about.

She was being stupid but, all she needed was an explanation for his disappearance. That's all. It's not like she hated Soul. Or maybe, she's not even mad about that. It's just that-

"Maka, are you okay?" Tsubaki spoke softly, fearing that she's treading on thin ice.

The author nodded unconvincingly. "I'm just being stupid."

"Maka just likes over-thinking. You're not stupid." Patty said which somehow made Maka feel alright.

There was a knock on the window after the vehicle stopped and the door opened for them. "We have arrived." The driver said in an all-too-polite manner. "Welcome to the Evans Mansion."

Jaws dropped as soon as they stepped out of the car. There was a huge mansion on a cliff and a little walk down the cliff (Maka saw some stairs on their way) was a beach. Nobody was there and there was a fence around it, suggesting it's private property.

"Dude, did Soul ever tell you he was _this _rich?" Blake asked her.

Come to think of it, Maka thought, all she knew about Soul's family was that they were all musicians. He was pretty secretive about his family. She kind of understood now why after connecting all the dots. He hated the crowd, he didn't like telling people about his family, he kept himself low profile - he just didn't want people to befriend him for what he had.

A man walked their way and bowed down. "Good afternoon. I'm Harvar, one of the butlers of the Evans family. Master Soul is expecting you. Please follow me." He smiled at them.

Maka was reminded of that time she pretended to be a butler to let Soul inside her apartment. She's nothing in comparison to Harvar. Not that she actually had to compare herself with a real butler. She had no plans on changing her career anytime soon. They followed the young butler into the mansion, walking on the long walkway in the middle of grassy gardens. How much money did they spend to have this mansion built, Maka believed it's more than the money she'll earn her whole life.

If they were already amazed with the exterior of the mansion, the inside was _way_ more amazing. Carpets, paintings, chandeliers, grand staircase; _name it, they have it. _Blake and Liz had their mouths hanging open, Patty was already fascinated with the paintings, Kid was simply looking around and Tsubaki, though she's trying to not look like it, was really amazed. As for Maka, she wondered why Soul gathered them there today. Also, she needed answers.

"Master Soul is in the music hall. Please follow me." Harvar spoke once again, turning right. _How huge was this place,_ Maka wondered. Harvar stopped in front of the vast door at the end of the hall and opened it. "Master Soul, they have arrived."

"Harvar." The familiar voice rang in Maka's ear. "It's probably the fiftieth time that I told you not to call me that." He sounded exasperated.

The butler sighed. "I'm afraid I can't-"

"And I've told you, that's an order."

Harvar nodded and ushered all of them in. "Here they are, _Soul._" He said, exiting the room.

Maka was looking at Soul who was sitting on the piano stool the whole time Harvar brought them there. He stood up and smiled. "Sorry for the short notice." He apologized. "I just thought maybe you all needed a time out and my parents are throwing a party tonight and, some other stuff." There was something he wasn't telling (it was confirmed when Soul, Blake and Kid exchanged looks with one another, _that's not suspicious at all) _but Maka let it slide, _for now.  
_

* * *

Soul was leading everyone to their rooms after a few moments of clarifications why Soul brought them to their mansion. They'd be leaving tomorrow afternoon after all so he had the some of the guest rooms empty. Kid had his own room. Blake and Tsubaki stayed together and Liz and Patty were rooming in together.

It was just him and Maka as he lead her to her room. "Here's where you'll be staying." He unlocked the door and Maka was welcomed by a very pleasant room. It had a gorgeous view of the beach. There was a bed that could probably fit in three people on it, a dresser, a door that Maka guessed would be a bathroom. All in all, the room was really nice but, before she could even show any signs of amusement, she stopped herself from showing any expression. She was still looking for some answers, after all.

"Can I go in with you?" Soul asked and it was ridiculous how he would still ask that. It was still his huge mansion even if she's going to be using the room for the night. Maka only nodded in reply. He cringed at the fact that she wasn't talking. That wasn't a good sign. "You're mad."

"_No shit, Soul."_ She cursed and Soul knew she really was. The author watched as Soul shut the door behind him. "Would it hurt you to reply to at least one of the messages I've sent to you? I was worried!" _No, no. She was not gonna cry._

Maka was probably shaking as she stood there, looking at the floor, her shoes, the red carpet she was stepping on - anything to block her peripheral from seeing Soul. She was afraid that she really might cry at the sight of him - _safe, alive, not grossed out by her popcorn breath, not turned off about how bad of a kisser she was._

Her thoughts were jumbled and she was a mess. All thanks to Soul.

The pianist approached her, reaching out for her hand. "Things got a bit complicated." He mumbled, squeezing her hand. "I got so focused on trying to-" He stopped, sighing. "-trying to sort things out. I didn't mean to ignore you or make you wait about talking about-"

"You're safe." Maka hated how with just his touch, the steel she made herself into quickly melted away. "I was worried, you idiot. You didn't reply to me, didn't answer my calls, how was I to know that you're just _sorting things out_? How was I supposed to know you suddenly didn't want me, even as a friend anymore or worse, you didn't die on me?"

She was bluffing to herself when she said that she was mad because she wanted explanation. She wasn't even mad. Maka was beyond worried, scared even, that she did something to scare Soul away or that, something might have happened to him when he went out that night. She knew the feeling of losing someone and Maka didn't want to experience it again.

Maka was pulled into Soul's arms. "I'm sorry. I messed up, I know." He kissed her forehead and she just melted into him, wrapping her arms around Soul's waist.

"You're an idiot." Maka growled but still buried her face on the crook of Soul's neck.

"I know, Maka. I know."

* * *

Soul wasn't kidding when he said his parents threw a party. The gigantic music hall was filled with guests when night time came. Soul asked Maka to accompany him for the night at the party. Blake and the others were supposed to be with them but they sort of lost each other (this house was incredibly huge for them to lose each other). Not being a fan of the crowd was an understatement. He did his best to avoid people.

"What's this party for anyway?" Maka asked Soul as they both walked around the hall, looking for some place where there's not much people.

"Annual party my parents hosts." He replied nonchalantly, really annoyed at the fact that he really wanted to talk to Maka about things that actually matter than staying at some party but, he had no choice. He had to at least be seen around otherwise his parents are gonna be pissed at him. "It's my first time inviting someone to the party and my parents were kind of pleased with that."

The writer nodded, looking around. So this was the life Soul lived. Extravagant and fancy. Okay, she got some answers but Soul still hasn't told her what he was doing all those three days he was missing but Maka doesn't question him further. If Soul wasn't going to tell her, she won't ask anymore.

"Soul! God, there you are!" A hand pulled him by the shoulder and Maka looked over the guy who looked like Soul only taller and had a blonde, almost whiter hair color. "I've been looking for you all around! Mom and Dad wanted you to play your piece already! You're the one who wanted that and now you're making them wait and-" the man's eyes met with Maka's and he smiled at her. "Who's this?"

"Wes-"

"Let me guess, Maka." The guy, Wes, said. "You're Maka, right? Oh, this is good! You really did invite her!" Wes turned to her and smiled. "I'm Wes, Soul's older brother." He held out his hand for her to shake which she did. "Soul told me a lot about you a few days ago."

The pianist growled and tugged on Wes' arm. "They want me to play, fine. Let's just go already before you start hitting on her." Soul groaned because as Wes was about to protest, probably a joke or something else, Soul looked at him and growled, "Hit on anyone you want, I don't care. But not her." It was a very possessive kind of growl and somehow, Maka liked that Soul was being like that.

Wes flashed Maka a smile and a wiggle of his eyebrows and followed Soul. She watched as Soul got pushed to the center of the music hall where the grand piano was at. Soul's brother turned the microphone on, a feedback comes from the speakers making Maka cringe. "Ah, sorry about that, excuse me everyone." Wes called everyone's attention then passed the microphone to Soul.

If looks could kill, Maka thought, she was sure Wes would be lying cold on the ground by now. "Good evening." Soul said and Maka heard a few girls behind her swoon. Soul always had a sexy voice in her opinion. At least she's not the only one thinking that. She thought she was simply that smitten with Soul. "I'd like to dedicate this song to a special girl who inspired me a lot and was the reason behind this composition. So…" He handed the microphone back to Wes and looked her way first, a small smile playing on his lips.

She was absolutely sure that she's fallen for this guy.

"Did you see that? He looked at me!"

"No, Soul Evans was looking at me!"

The girls at Maka's back argued and she had to roll her eyes because, _no, actually ladies, he was looking at me._

Soul's melody started low and slow. Maka was mesmerized by the way Soul looked as he played the piano. He looked so focused and he looked like a totally different person as he played. He had his eyes closed and Maka noticed that there was no sheet in front of him. He had it memorized. The melody lightened and suddenly, Maka felt warm. She did not understand how music goes and how does one understand it but she could feel how Soul was dedicating it to her. Not to mention the occasional times he would open his eyes and look her way once in a while.

It was beautiful.

Maka noticed how Soul was smiling as he continued and that smile was contagious because Maka was feeling her lips curve upwards. It was so beautiful to see Soul do something he's so passionate about _(for someone he's so passionate about_, she tried to push away the thought but wasn't able to stop herself from blushing).

When the song was finally done, a round of applause was definitely called for. Some people from the crowd moved towards him and as much as Maka wanted to wrap her arms around him, she decided to wait. A couple approached Soul and they might as well be Soul's parents. Soul kept a straight face when he was talking to them.

"Excuse me," Someone tapped her shoulder and she turned to look at a guy, probably around 25, smiling at her. "I can't help but wonder. You're Maka Albarn, aren't you? Author of 'Absence'?" He asked and Maka immediately smiled at him. He knew her! "I'm a fan."

The author nodded her head. "Wow uh," She was at loss for words. "Thank you!"

Soul was actually feeling good when his parents walked over to him to say that they liked his performance. _That's a first,_ he said to himself. He was walking past the crowd, nodding to the people who greeted him, trying to look for Maka. She did find her.

There goes his mood.

She was talking to a guy while smiling widely. They looked like they were having fun. As a butler serving champagne went past them, the guy got two glasses and handed one to Maka which she took. There was something gnawing at his heart because, why was there even a guy talking to _his_ girl? He shook his head at the thought. Maybe he should walk over to them and-

"Ah, Soul, that was a great performance." A woman laced her arm around him and he had the urge to snarl at somebody for existing. Or touching him even. He recognized the woman as one of Wes' friend's younger sister. He didn't have time for this. He glanced over at Maka. She was gone from where she was earlier and Soul sighed in annoyance. He couldn't really fly off the handle while he was in a party (actually, he could but he just wouldn't since who knows what the people would say). "That was nice of you, dedicating that beautiful song to a girl. Didn't know you had someone special at the moment."

_Yeah and I should be with her at the moment rather than with you._

"Yeah and I kinda-"

Another arm sung around his free arm and he's just about to blow a fuse or something because why are these _leeches_ on him anyway? The girl this time was one of the girls that his parents 'recommended' for him. He noticed how the two girls smiled at each other. "Hi Soul! So, I was thinking-" _That's a first you spoiled brat. You never think. _"Maybe we could all hang out and you know," She leaned closer to his ear and he just wanted to push her off and say how disgusted he was with her. "_have some fun?_" The girl finished, trying to be seductive.

It was then that Soul knew things were gonna go wrong. He looked at the girl, her face quite close to his and he just said, "No thank you." He was about to shake them off when he saw green eyes looking at him from a distance.

_Fuck._

The pianist immediately detached himself from the girls clinging on to him when he saw that Maka was there to witness what just happened and walk off.

_A lot more fucks._

* * *

She had never thought about wearing a party dress on the beach, carrying her heels on one hand and trying her best to hug herself with the other on a cold night. But, there she was.

Maka wasn't exactly crying but she was hurt. And for no reason. She and Soul haven't really talked about what they were and that doesn't really give her the right to be jealous over some girls who was clinging on him.

But she was and it sucked because again, who was she to be jealous? She's just some friend he met at some bar whom he happened to spend his time with and he kissed her once (a lot actually but she meant on the lips).

Yes, Soul did imply (no, it's almost like a confession) that he may like her and she liked him too but, hey, she's just uncomfortable seeing those girls with Soul. "Feeling feelings sucks." She groaned.

"Tell me about it."

The writer looked behind to saw the person causing her distress. "You tell me." She retorted, sitting on the nearby rock. Soul followed her, his hands in the pocket of his slacks.

"Okay, well, I messed up big time. The person I like got mad at me but I managed to at least make her hug me earlier this afternoon and I thought everything's alright. I even dedicated a song to her, hoping my feelings would reach her but, some dumb leeches decide to cling on to me and the person I liked sees them and she's probably mad again so she stormed off to the beach and I had to ask nearly everyone in a party to tell me if they'd seen her and now, I'm gonna apologize again." Soul narrated. "I'm sorry, Maka." Soul grumbled, sitting next to her on the rock.

Silent. She was silent. The sound of the waves were almost deafening to the ears.

There was a huge sigh from Maka. "I wasn't mad at you." She replied. "I'm just being stupid."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

Soul nudged her arm with his shoulder lightly. "Soul, look, I really loved the song and I thank you for it and I'm sorry. I'm being stupid with this whole 'seeing-you-with-other-girls'." She sighed. "I was jealous." She whispered, almost inaudibly.

"We weren't doing anything. They came on to me, Maka."

"I know, which is why I'm annoyed because I'm jealous of them for no reason." She explained, her voice raising a bit. "And it annoys me more because I don't even have the right to be jealous."

"You're really pouring it all out tonight, huh?" Soul asked and it was her turn to nudge him only, hers were much more harder than his that he almost tumbled to the sand. "Ow, okay. But seriously, if it makes you feel better. I got jealous too."

Maka looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"You were smiling at this guy at the party earlier while talking to him." Maka continued to look at him with the same confusion, mixed with disbelief now on her face. "Oh, you know, tall guy, black hair, glasses and all that."

The author's face lighted up. "You mean Will?" Oh yeah, she was talking to him earlier. "He just recognized me and talked to me for a bit. He's gay, Soul." Maka explained.

"Oh." The pianist suddenly felt all too stupid. "See? Jealous for no reason." He searched for her hand and held it in his when he found it. "You do know it by now, right?" He asked.

"Know what?"

He squeezed her hand. "That I like you very much."

Maka reddened. She knew. But it was really different when someone says it to you directly. He looked at her to meet her eyes, red eyes meeting green. "I know." She mumbled. "And, I like you too. Very much."

There was a gentle smile that crept up on Soul's face. At least that was out.

They settled there for a few minutes, Maka looking at the ocean while he looked at her, their fingers intertwined. "The ocean looks beautiful." She mumbled.

An idea popped out of Soul's mind and he smiled at her. "Wanna go for a swim?" He asked, looking at her excitedly. "I always wanted to try swimming here at night."

"And you haven't yet?" Maka inquired, tilting her head.

Shaking his head, Soul stood up and removed his shoes and socks. "We rarely come here. It's a rest house far from the city. Mom and Dad currently lives in New York but they come here on occasions." He explained and Maka was in awe.

"This is just a rest house." She mumbled, looking at the house, no, _mansion. _How much money does Soul's family have?! Maka looked back at Soul but he was already halfway towards the beach wearing his boxer shorts, which made her blush.

"Come on, Maka!"

"I never said I was going to go swim with you!" She yelled in protest. She could see Soul scowling from the distance. "Soul…"

"It's no fun swimming alone! Why'd you think I never swam here at nighttime before?" Soul asked. Maka had to avert her eyes away from Soul because, _damn he looked hot without clothes on. _

The novelist rolled her eyes. "It's no fun swimming if you're gonna freeze to death!" She retorted again but Soul held his gaze and pouted. He actually pouted. "Can't I just walk by the shore or something?" Again, he continued to pout. How can she resist him like that? "F-Fine!" She gave up and Soul made a triumphant 'yes!', pumping his fist in the air. "J-Just don't look!"

She was going in the water with only her underwear on. Well, she always wanted to try skinny dipping but - no, she was not going to go there. Especially not with Soul! It was embarrassing enough already (did she mention, crazy) that they're going to swim at this time of the night, in the cold water in only her underwear but, to actually go in there, stark naked?

Maka still wanted to live. She didn't need to die from embarrassment right now.

Soul was already in the water when she finished taking off the party dress. She placed her heels near Soul's shoes and walked over to the shore. "Don't you dare look or I will kick your face." She warned.

"Yes ma'am."

The water was cold and she almost jumped when her feet got wet by the waves. "Soul, it's too cold!" She exclaimed.

"Get in the water fast." He said in a -as-a-matter-of-fact tone. "Your body will adjust to it."

_Why did I even agree to this?_ She asked herself. With one quick motion, she ran to the water and sunk down her whole body in it. When she resurfaced, she just gasped. "Cold, cold, cold, cold!" She exclaimed repeatedly. Okay, now she was sure she was really stupid for agreeing to this _just because she found Soul cute._ She should consider her actions and sharpen up her decision making skills if she was going to be with Soul. Maka blushed at the thought. He hasn't even asked her our yet.

"Can I hug you?" Soul asked out of the blue which made her turn around to face him. His hair was damp and was sticking on his forehead again. Maka liked how he looked when he got rained on after supposedly picking her up to take her to Blake's party but this time, she _loved _it.

As for his question, Maka debated on letting him versus not letting him because, they were pretty much in their underwear and Maka's really embarrassed. But then again, she'll be comfortable if she hugs him and she'll be warm. She finally faced him and nodded.

Maka stepped closer to him, the water slowing her motions but Soul wrapped his arms around her waist all of a sudden and then, she was pressed against him. His face was buried on the crook of her neck, his breath tickling her. "I really missed you, you know?" He mumbled against her skin.

Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his torso. "I missed you too, you dork." She whispered against his ear. There was something so intimate about the way Soul's just holding her in his arms while they whisper how much they missed each other to one another.

"The past three days were the longest days of my life." Soul mentioned. "I really wanted to talk to you and hear your voice but-"

"Things got complicated, I know." She nodded her head in understanding. "Did you manage to sort things out though?"

Soul was silent. Maka already thought that maybe, he didn't want to answer her. She was about to say that it was okay when he mumbled a '_No_, _I didn't_'. He was really bothered by that and she could easily tell by how his arms tightened a bit more around her. She didn't mind. Soul needed the comfort and she was going to give it to him no matter what.

Soul pulled back and cradled Maka's face to look at him. He leaned in, their foreheads touching. "Can we just be together?" He heard her mumble. "I really like you Maka and, I really want to ask you out." He confessed. "But, I just…"

"Soul, what is it?" Maka places a hand on his cheek and he nuzzled against it.

"Maka, I have to leave for Europe."

* * *

**_(A/N: Now you know why the title of the chapter was cliffhanger. Anyway, I'm at the hospital after some things went crazy and I can only type with one hand at the moment. That one hand happens to be my left hand and it actually hates me so, I'm typing at an incredible speed (try, turtle) and will have to go back to the hospital. I'd be updating twice today maybe thrice, if I get lucky (a.k.a. if my left hand doesn't stop messing up). So yeah, sorry for the late update!)_**


	6. Together

_**(Author's Note: There are two (2) versions of this story. One is this; the mild content lime. The other is on tumblr, which is a full smut scene... I don't know how to explain but yeah. Tumblr link will be available on my profile so, if you'd like, go check it out)**_

* * *

**STORIES AND MELODIES: _Worth It_**

**VI. Together**

* * *

Maka stared at Soul for the longest time before everything he said finally sunk. "You're leaving?" She asked and Soul could only look at her with those sad eyes. "When…?"

"This Sunday." Was Soul's short reply.

"How long?"

"A few years."

There was a sad 'oh' that emitted from her mouth. There was a lump on her throat that made it hard to swallow. It was already Wednesday. "Was this what you've been trying to sort out the past few days?" Maka asked again, her arms falling to her sides.

Soul nodded. "I tried to convince my parents to leave me out of their plans but, I just…" He looked down and let out a huge sigh. "Someone offered me a huge record deal there and they're even getting me to meet a few more people and a lot more opportunities…" The pianist trailed off, caressing Maka's cheek with his thumb. "I didn't need those. I'm happy here. I want to be with you."

A man was willing to give up all those opportunities for her and she was incredibly touched by this but, she can't be in the way of someone's life especially if he's given this many chances. "No, Soul." Maka mumbled. "You can't exchange all those for me." They were both silent and Maka thought about it deeply. Soul's really important to her, romantically and platonically. There really was no such thing as a perfect story. "I hope you'll be okay there." She tried to smile. She managed to but the sadness wasn't covered by it. Thank goodness it was dark or else Soul was gonna see how she's almost about to cry.

She was beginning to shiver and he felt that he was too. "We should head back." Maka said, lacing her fingers with his and pulling him out of the water. She suddenly didn't mind if Soul saw her in her underwear. Right now, she'd like to be close to Soul as long as fate permitted.

They quietly got in their clothes, their garments getting wet in the process. The party looked like it was over from the distance because the lights by the garden were gone. Walking back had been silent. Maka just spent her time holding on to Soul's hand which she would feel was squeezing hers occasionally.

By the time they stepped near the mansion's back entrance, Harvar was there sitting on the porch. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the two, all wet in their clothes. "Soul!" He called out. "Ah, let me get you two some towels." He said before running inside the house.

There was a question hanging above their heads.

_What now?_

Was that how they're going to finish their story? By being separated? She hoped to the heavens it wasn't.

_But it sure looked like it._

Harvar came back with two towels and gave it to the two of them. "Thanks." They said in unison. The butler would usually scold Soul for doing something outrageous like this one but not only did he have company but there was also something about the way their eyes looked that made him back off. Maybe some other time.

They walked up the stairs towards their rooms. It was Soul's room that they'd pass by first. There had been a silent agreement that he'd lead her to her room but he stopped in front of his room's door and reached for Maka's hand. He was making things difficult for him, _for the both of them_. "Will you stay with me?"

Funny; Maka wanted to ask that question too. But, she just can't be selfish. And right now, she was actually feeling like she should be giving. "Yes," And with one breathy reply, Soul had pulled her to him, their lips meeting. Soul fumbled the doorknob to his room and twisted it open. They entered, lips still moving against each other as Soul pushed the door close with his foot. Their towels fell and Maka wrapped her arms around Soul's neck as he cradled her face in his hands. They were standing in the middle of Soul's room, the lights not opened but, they didn't care. They were probably dripping on the carpet and making a mess but they were all too busy focusing on each other to care about it.

Soul nipped at her bottom lip with his sharp teeth, eliciting a moan from Maka. His hand moved to her neck before tangling it in her wet hair and sucking on her lip. The young woman moved her hand to his chest while the other tugged on the collar of his dress shirt, pulling him closer to her, if possible.

They both tasted like the sea after that swim.

The moonlight shone upon them as Maka's legs felt the edge of Soul's bed. Her heartbeat went faster. Soul trailed down kisses from her lips, to her jaw, his hands were getting a bit more adventurous as it was now resting on her back, just above her posterior. She reached out for the sipper on the side of her dress and Soul helped her take it off of her. She was now standing in front of Soul in nothing but her underwear and he was looking hungrily at her.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered in her ear, biting her earlobe and sucking on it. This caused shivers to run down her spine and fuel the heat pooling between her legs. Maka was sure his hands were on her ass right now because she moaned when he gave it a light squeeze. Maka pushed him back a little and trailed her hands to Soul's shirt, slowly undoing the buttons. The pianist made no sign indication of stopping from his ministrations on her jaw, neck and ears which made her task more difficult.

Also, the way his pianist fingers traced her body was distracting her from everything. It was also not helping that he was whispering words of admiration as he kissed her all over.

Maka realized, there was something painful about the situation. Soul can't stay. Soul will have to leave this country, his life here. Soul will have to leave her. She closed her eyes, trying to block out all the thoughts. Right now, she wanted to focus on Soul and only him.

* * *

After their activity, Soul collapsed on Maka. Oh, if only they could always stay like this. He wouldn't mind at all. The pianist raised himself up and moved to kiss her lips.

Their kiss was gentle. It wasn't the same heated kiss they shared earlier but they both didn't mind that because this one was passionate, this one was tender. This one was able to make them feel like everything will be alright, even if it was just temporarily.

He lied down next to her and, like always, she snuggled against him. "Can we just not like each other?" Soul asked, rubbing her arm with his hand. He pressed his lips against her forehead.

"I wish it was just that easy." She mumbled, sighing. "Plus you're not making it easy for me to not like you." She whispered, drawing circles on Soul's chest.

Again, the question was still hanging above their heads. What was to happen to them now. Was this it? The two of them never really thought about what will happen after this but, they know what they want. They want each other. They want to be together.

"I don't mind you know." Maka began, clearing her throat. "Waiting for you."

Soul felt his heart skip a beat. "There's no telling when I'll come back. I don't want to stop you from seeing anyone. You deserve to be happy, Maka."

"And who said I want to see anyone else?" She protested, lifting her head to look at him. "Do you think you'll be seeing anyone when you're there?" Maka asked.

Soul placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her. "I'm pretty sure I'd be too busy with the recording and the studying and the meeting of my mentors. I'm definitely sure though, that I'd be too busy thinking of you for a long time." He smiled at her before planting a kiss on her nose.

There was a smile on Maka's lips before she yawned. "You should sleep Maka. We can talk about this tomorrow."

_Sounds like a plan.  
_

* * *

How can he even think of leaving now when he could wake up next to this girl every morning of his days. Soul wondered. Maka was pretty much the little spoon in their position. She was facing away from him and he had his arms around her.

She woke up shortly not after him and turned. She opened her eyes to see Soul's face. "Oh hey, Soul." Maka smiled at him. "I had such a weird dream I mean, we went to this huge mansion which was yours then we went swimming and then we-" She stopped. There was a short pause before Soul could practically trace how the red spreads across her face. Maka looked at her body and she was naked. And Soul's pretty much naked as well.

"I'm sure those weren't just dreams, Maka." Soul smirked, leaning close to her face. "Morning." He kissed her lips. The whole night came flooding in her memory and she smiled into the kiss. "Maka, I've been thinking." Soul started. "You said you can wait for me. I'm glad because I'm gonna sound selfish here but, I want you to wait for me. And, I know you're serious but, I just-" He sighed.

"Soul." Maka looked him in the eye. "You don't have to worry about it. I know it'll be a bit hard but it'll work out, I can wait for you." She held his face in her hands. "You're worth it."

The young musician pulled Maka to him. "Can we just be together?" He smirked, remembering her words when they were swimming last night.

"Duh." Maka giggled, hugging Soul back.

They were sure it won't be easy. But hey, at the end of the day, they'll still be together. It'll all be worth it.

* * *

_**(A/N: Okay then! Last day will be up either later or I don't know what time it is in your timezones so, I'm kinda just winging it. lol See you later~)**_


	7. Home

**Stories and Melodies: _Coming of Age_**

**VII. Home**

* * *

_His Story._

"Maka?" A voice called from behind Maka while she was drinking coffee in Tsubaki's coffee shop. The writer looked to where the voice came from. There she saw the familiar face of Wes Evans, Soul's brother.

It had been two days since Soul's departure and Maka decided she wanted to visit her friends just so she could avoid feeling lonely. She visited Tsubaki today and was waiting for her shift to end when Wes appeared out of the blue. "Wes! Oh, hi!" She smiled.

She noticed how Wes looked at the clock on the wall before smiling. "Mind if I sit here?" He asked. Maka took note that his order was in a paper bag. He wasn't planning on eating here.

Then again, she doesn't really mind. In fact, she'd like some company. "No, go ahead." She smiled at Wes and he occupied the chair in front of her. "How have you been?" She politely asked.

Wes peered in the paper bag and brought out his sandwich and opened his coffee. "Oh you know, still resting. My schedule's gonna be packed again next week so, yeah, I'm just gonna make the most out of this." She forgot how Wes was a busy person as well. Being a well known musician must've been tough. "I've read your first book by the way. Soul's recommendation. I really look forward to the sequel." Maka beamed at him after that. "How about you?"

There's the question. If she'd be honest, she'd say she's really not used to not having Soul around (_God, Maka, it's only been two days). _The author looked at him and smiled. "Just so-so, to be honest." She replied.

The violinist nodded in understanding. "Soul's probably gloomy right now too, don't worry." He joked and it actually made her laugh. "Tell you the truth," Wes offered and she looked at him. "I've never seen Soul so attached to someone before."

The writer looked at him curiously. "Really now? Come to think of it," She wondered. "What was Soul like as a child?"

A playful grin appeared on Wes' face. "He's probably gonna kill me if I tell you how cute he was when he was a kid…" He stopped but then laughed. "Not that I care." Maka just laughed along with him. The Evans siblings really are close. "When he was a kid, I remembered how he was such a troublemaker. I was five by then and I remember things clearly. Since the day he learned how to walk, his babysitters knew they were in trouble. Take their eyes off him for a bit and he's gone." Wes chuckled. "There was a time he was gone from his crib. That caused quite a panic. Then the maids found him playing with his toys in the play room. Nobody knew how he did that up to now."

A smile tugged on Maka's lips. She imagined a baby Soul walking around, wobbling and walking by himself. _That must've been so cute._ "Then, when he entered preschool, on his very first day, he already managed to punch a taller guy for telling him that he looked weird. You got to admit, our genes aren't the most common." Wes smirked and Maka couldn't help but agree. "He had caused lot of troubles back then. It's probably since he wasn't able to express himself. He was a quiet kid. It all changed when he began to play the piano though."

"When did he start to play the piano?" Maka asked. obviously interested with Wes' story.

"If I'm not mistaken, he was 7. Our parents took us to a recital and when this musician stepped on stage and began playing, he was mesmerized." Wes replied. "Soul decided to play the piano since then. He learned fast but somehow, his music was different. There was a time that even my parents found it weird and tried to change him and his playing style." A melancholic look on Wes' face told Maka that it wasn't one of Soul's best years back then. "He stopped playing when my parents told him to play the songs as they were. Soul never followed the sheets, actually. He always managed to insert a part of him in his music but, my parents didn't like that." He continued on. "Actually, I was impressed about that. I always stayed by the sheets but Soul's just that great. I was devastated when he began to slowly drift away from the piano until he completely stopped."

There was a pain in Wes' voice. He must've really been broken if it still affected him after all those years. "What made him play again?" Maka asked again.

Wes drank his coffee before continuing. "I think it has to do with the fact that he really loved the piano. Even if he stopped playing, he never stopped listening. When you're a musician, I guess you just can't help yourself from playing. He pursued his piano playing. He'd sneak out at night to play the piano. In the end, he stopped playing songs by others and just began to create his own songs so that no one would correct him." He chuckled at the thought but there was something in his smile.

Even Maka found that that was something Soul would definitely do. He liked to be rebellious. "Did your parents still didn't like his music being 'different'?" She inquired.

Nodding, Wes smiled. "You catch on fast." He smirked, reminding her of Soul's infamous smirk that made her heart skip beats. "Yeah, they still didn't like it but, hey, Soul wasn't going to let them stop him. They learned to accept it eventually when he was in high school. That was the time he began dating too." Wes looked at her. "He never disclosed any of his conquests except that time about a year ago. That was probably his longest relationship." He paused and Maka wondered if Soul had ever been in that deep relationship where he would spend years wi- "Three months."

Maka blinked repeatedly. "That's the longest?" She asked and Wes seemed fascinated by Maka's reaction since he began laughing. "Sorry, I was just surprised." She mumbled.

"Nah, lemme tell you something." Wes said, raising his hand as if saying 'it's alright'. "Soul? He's not a very open person. It's hard to get a hold of his 'emotional side'. Not even our parents can get to him." He said. "He tried dating but he'd eventually dump the girl because he was just giving them a chance. The girls would throw themselves at him and he just liked the flings." There was something tugging at Maka's heart and all of a sudden there was dread.

What if Soul just considered her as a _fling_? "I'm good at reading faces, Maka." Wes smiled, his eyebrow raised. "I've known Soul since he popped out of my mom's womb. Trust me, you're not just a fling." He said crossing his arms. Maka could see sincerity in his words. "You should have seen how Soul was so against leaving. Usually our parents plan those things for him because, they had the bigger connection to the music industry. He was making a name on his own anyway. But that time," Wes looked like he was reminiscing as he closed his eyes and smiled. "I've never seen him like that before. He really wanted to stay. Soul even looked desperate, if you ask me."

She was silent as she contemplated on his words. "I like you for Soul and I'm just saying this to you so you'd know." He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Growing up, Soul always got what he wanted. He feels like he doesn't _need_ anything or anyone."

Maka frowned at the thought because she was scared that she rode a train wreck. It sure sounded like Wes was warning her. _Does Soul even need me? _"But then, you came along and I could see how much Soul needs you." The violinist finished, making Maka look at him.

The writer smiled at Wes' words. "Thank you so much for telling me all this." She said, grateful. "I'm sorry too. It looked like you're going somewhere earlier but you kept me company." She apologized.

Wes grinned, chuckling. "I'm sure I wasn't that obvious. You're really keen." He mentioned, nodding his head. "But yeah, no problem. It's just an old friend I'm gonna meet. He's probably gonna wait for me anyway. Well known violinist here." He joked and Maka laughed. He stood up and collected his half eaten sandwich and coffee. "I best be going then." He smiled. "You take care, okay?"

She knew that Wes missed Soul very much. After all, he kind of muffled her hair in a very big-brother-like way but was considerate enough not to make it too messy. Usually she'd be annoyed if even Soul did that but, it was Wes and she wasn't able to provide him that much comfort while he gave her a lot (she realized how Wes did all the talking) so, she'd let this one slide.

* * *

_Skype._

"Soul! We're gonna watch Harry Potter!" Travis Evans exclaimed happily when he saw Soul on Maka's computer screen.

The older Evans smirked at him. "Well, I'm sure you're gonna enjoy it Trav." Soul smiled. "Is Maka there yet?" He asked.

Travis shook his head. "Maka is in the kitchen."

"Okay. Let me tell you some things buddy. You're gonna be her bodyguard while I'm away so listen carefully. This is your mission." Soul smiled when his cousin nodded his head enthusiastically. "Make sure to remind Maka to lock her door and then if she falls asleep during the movie, wake her up and tell her to go to bed, okay?"

"Yes sir!" The five year old nodded which made Soul laugh.

"And don't tell Maka I told you, okay?" Another nod. "Good boy."

The young Travis decided that Maka Albarn was his new favorite person after his cousin, Soul, left the country. Travis met Maka on the airport when Soul was about to leave for Europe. The young Evans had been crying because if Soul was gone, he wasn't going to have someone to watch his favorite movies with. His father's busy. He didn't have any siblings. His mother's gone off somewhere, according to his Dad and hasn't returned since. Wes was never home. His Uncles and Aunty were at New York.

He pretty much didn't have anyone. He was already five but being an only child was tough on him especially since they rarely let him out. Which was why, when Soul introduced him to Maka before he went off, he was glad because she was the one who offered him that if he ever got bored, he could always come by her place and watch some movies.

Maka remembered that day pretty clearly since she was forced to have lunch with Soul's uncle, Dave, and Travis. Plus, it was only a week ago. Dave and Travis were a lively bunch. It was too bad that Maka haven't met Soul's parents yet. She wondered if they were like Dave. She blushed at the thought of Soul introducing her as his girlfriend to his parents. During that lunch time was when Maka mentioned something about Harry Potter and Travis asked her who Harry Potter was. She explained about the famous 'boy-who-lived' and Travis was clearly amazed by this. He asked if he could sleep over at Maka's to watch Harry Potter and thus, why Travis was in Maka's apartment, talking to Soul.

The author emerged from the kitchen, holding a bowl of popcorn in hand. Maka saw Soul looking at her from the computer and she giggled. "Too bad you're missing the movie." She stuck her tongue out.

"You just miss me." Soul winked at her.

That was true. She already missed him a lot. It's only been a week. She wondered how she could go on for months, years, like this. But, she would. _He's worth it._

"Yeah, I do. And, I'm sure…" She hugged Travis from behind who was sitting on her computer chair. "Travis here misses you too!" Maka giggled when Travis nodded.

There was a gentle smile on Soul's face. He really wished he was there. Maka would probably curl up against him while watching a movie. But, at least, she wasn't that lonely with Travis there. "You're not gonna stay up for too long, are you? Travis, you need to-"

"-sleep well so that I will grow tall and cool." Travis said, nodding his head. "Maka arready told me that thousands of times." He added which made Soul and Maka laugh.

Maka temporarily left the computer to make Travis comfortable on the couch and hand him the popcorn before playing the DVD. She smiled at Travis who watched eagerly. She liked the kid already. She went back to the computer to talk to Soul.

"Hey." She smiled.

"Hey." Soul replied.

Seeing each other felt like enough but they really, _really _missed cuddling on the couch. They talked for a few minutes and shared some laughs before Soul said that he should go since he had to meet his producer that morning (night at Maka's, weird how time zones work).

Since then, Travis went to Maka's at least once a week. He had taken a liking to watching Harry Potter that on certain occasions, he would ask Maka if he could watch _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ again (Maka didn't really have to ask him what his favorite movie in the series was).

Having Travis around was a good thing for Soul and Maka's relationship. They would have their misunderstandings on certain days but since Travis would insist that they talk to each other (more like, he wanted to see Soul on Skype and ask him about random things), not a week went by that they didn't resolve their issues.

By the eight month that they were together, Soul had first told Maka that he loved her. He explained that he was sure it was love he was feeling for her. Maka said it in return and the two of them simply just stared at their cameras for the whole session. Saying _I love you_'s had been something they did every night. Even just through mail. They never forgot to tell that to each other.

Before they knew it, a year had passed.

* * *

"Happy anniversary!" Soul grinned from the computer screen. Maka burst out laughing at the sight of Soul's gift to her. Days earlier, Maka received a package - a small, rectangular box - from him that said 'don't open until our anniversary'. She was so tempted to see what was inside but she decided not to since Soul would definitely be mad.

Maka didn't exactly get why Soul got her a Doctor Who water tumbler. Yes, she might have mentioned that she recently watched the series and she liked it but, really a tumbler? "You're so weird." Maka laughed.

She saw him shaking his head and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Who said that was my gift to you? That's just a bonus." He looked so proud of himself that it intrigued Maka. "Come on, slowpoke. Open it!" He smirked.

The author removed the lid of the tumbler and in it she saw a small plastic case. In it was a small leather case. She took the case and opened it. There was a silver necklace there and Maka looked at the pendant. It had a musical note with their names engraved on the note flag. Now she felt bad for sending him a lame hoodie. "Aww, Soul. This is too much. I can't believe I just sent you a Slytherin hoodie." She groaned. _Duh, Europe. Harry Potter. _Soul could've easily gotten his hands on it.

"Hey, don't hurt yourself over it." Soul ducked down from the view then when he came back up, he was already wearing the green hoodie. "I like it. I really do." He smiled.

She eyed on the necklace in her hand and smiled sadly. "I kinda wish you'd be the one to put this necklace on me." Maka mumbled but Soul easily caught her words.

"I know. I'd like that too." Soul said, his face saddening a little. "But, hey, we're good."

That's right. There had been times when it was really difficult for the two of them. It wasn't always smooth sailing. There were times they haven't gotten hold of each other due to some things. Maka had finished her 'Absence' trilogy. Danielle and Philip got together and found Reginald. They solved the mystery of the missing students in their school. The novel got the people's interest and a lot more people are starting to recognize Maka. She was invited to book signing events and conventions. Soul, on the other hand, had finished a few songs and collaborated with a few artists. He was even invited by a few people to play for them during occasions and recitals. All in all, it had been good but, their time for each other lessened,

Seeing each other after all that stress was almost enough to relieve them from their stress. _Almost._

Maka smiled and nodded to what he said. He wished he could hold her hand even. "So, has Travis been there lately?" Soul asked.

"Yeah." She replied. "He was so proud to tell me that he already moved to first grade." She giggled at the thought. "And, they invited me to his 6th birthday next month."

She knew how Soul had a soft spot for his cousin. He would always smile gently when she mentions Travis. "Yeah well, whaddaya know, maybe the next time he drops by there, he's already telling you about his crush or something."

"He's too young for that." The author rolled her eyes and laughed.

"S'just a crush." He smirked. "You know, as uncool as it sounds, I had a crush on you when we first met." Soul admitted out of the blue which stopped Maka from laughing.

The writer blushed at the sudden confession. "Soul. You were twenty three by then." Maka reminded.

"Oh come on, what does age have to do with crushes?"

Maka only shook her head, laughing once again.

* * *

"Hey Soul, how did you and Maka get together?"

The writer coughed at the young Evans' question. The pianist, on the other hand, gave her a smirk.

_Two years, _Maka thought. Time seemed to fly so fast and yet, seem like it's taking forever. Soul had been away for two years. They were going strong, to their relief. Of course, Travis was a huge contributor to that. Whenever Maka got angry at Soul, the younger Evans would always seem to feel it and then, he'd appear in front of Maka's door the next day and would tell her that they need to get it together (_"You're gonna be Soul's special someone, right?" _ Travis once asked her, his _'special someone_' term translating to _wife_).

"Hmm, how did we get together Maka?" Soul asked, smirking from the computer screen.

"Well," She smiled at Travis, glancing at Soul with an annoyed look for passing her the responsibility of explaining before looking back at Travis. "When Soul and I met, we immediately became friends. He would always come here to watch movies with me." She stopped. How would she explain the next few parts? "You see, when you start to like someone, things just happen."

Soul howled with laughter. "That was lame!" He said in between laughter. Maka puffed her cheeks and glared at him. "But yeah, you just go with what you're feeling Trav." Soul nodded which made his girlfriend roll her eyes. Really, giving that kind of advice to a seven year old? "I'm guessing you like someone?"

Travis nodded.

"You're young, buddy. You still have a long way to go. But hey, try to be friends with her. Just not too much or you'll end up in the _friend zone."_

"What's a _friend zone_?"

Maka rolled her eyes again. She was going to damage her eye muscles if she kept that up. "It means it's 11:30 PM and you need to rest, Travis." She said.

"But, what's a _friend zone_ first!"

The writer emitted a huge sigh. "It's a term for when a person doesn't want to be in a relationship with another person who likes him or her because that person is just a friend." Maka explained. "But of course, before you end up 'friend zoned', you have to actually tell the person you like that you like her and not just assume that you're already in the friend zone when you haven't even tried talking to her about it yet." She finished explaining. "_But_, you don't have to worry about that now because you're still our baby." She pinched Travis' cheek. "Now, off to bed, little guy."

Soul watched as Travis went in his 'pillow fortress' on the extendable couch that could be made into a bed (yes, Maka bought a new couch already and so far, Travis was inhabiting it every sleepover Fridays). "Hey, thanks for taking care of Travis. Sorry if he's been bothering you." Soul whispered to Maka who smiled at him (at the computer camera but, yeah).

"Don't mention it. He's not a bother, Soul. You and Dave always say that." She replied to him. "Contrary to you Older Evans' belief, I actually like having Travis around." She smiled.

Her boyfriend nodded. "Yeah… but still, thank you for looking out for him." Soul said.

* * *

_Their Story._

Three years. They've been living their life as usual. Travis' trips to her apartment lessened because he has his _bros _to hang-out with now but he still remembers to drop by once in a while to watch movies with Maka. Travis grew taller and he had been insisting to stay up late now since he's already tall enough and Maka would constantly shake her head ("_Travis, you're only eight. Your height's going to stay like that forever if you don't sleep early" "Nooooooo!")._

Dave invited Maka to join him and Travis during some occasions like New Year's, Travis' Recognition Day (the boy had been the top of his class, Dave said it was because Maka somehow rubbed off on Travis and he became dedicated to studying whenever he had to), Halloween (actually, Maka just took Travis trick or treating. Blake gave Travis loads of candies) and other events. They considered her as family and she did too.

Because of Wes, she managed to meet Soul's parents, Wes told her that they want to meet the girl that had made their youngest son _smitten_. It was awkward at first. Alfonce and Diana were quite the pair. While Diana was lively, Alfonce rarely showed emotion. By the end of their meeting (a dinner at Dave's restaurant), Maka received a huge hug from Diana, saying she _approves_, and a pat on the head from Alfonce. Maka looked at Wes with the most confused look in her eyes and he shrugged but then told her that they liked her a lot.

Relationship wise, things were going pretty well for Soul and Maka. Though sometimes, it really can't be helped that Maka and Soul would have their misunderstandings but, they made it a point to always make up with each other.

Maka was working on her new series when Soul called her during the day. That was odd. Usually, it was her who called him during the night. "Hi Soul." She said through the phone.

"Hi baby." He replied and Maka smiled. She secretly liked it when Soul called her that. "So, are you busy?" He asked.

The writer looked at her computer screen, pushing her glasses upwards (she had been given a recommendation to wear glasses after her doctor, Frank, told her to go to an ophthalmologist when she went there for a checkup due to her frequent headaches). "Nope, not busy at all." She lied but, she was willing to sacrifice her time for Soul.

"Ah, good well…" He fumbled around, as Maka can hear through the speaker, it sounded like he walked over to somewhere. "During my free days, I, as weird as it sounds like, wrote a story." Soul told her and she looked at her phone, checking if it really was Soul's number. It was.

She was curious alright. "Really? Can I read it?" Maka asked, sounding excited.

"Yeah about that," Soul paused again. "I was wondering if you can tell me what you think about it." He said. "And I was wondering also if you could read it today? It's just short, I promise." Before she could even ask what's the rush about, Soul coughs and clears his throat. "Uhm, I just got really into it and would like to know if it's good or something… and I thought, maybe I can get an expert's opinion?"

Laughing, Maka simply nodded. "Okay Soul. Whatever you say. Send it to me through e-mail or Facebook?" She said.

"Cool." She could already hear the clicking from Soul's mouse and keyboard. "There. Sent it through Facebook." Soul informed her. "Thanks. Love you!" He ended it with a 'smooch' sound which made Maka laugh again.

"No problem dork. I'll read it today, I promise. Love you too."

As soon as their phone call ended, Maka opened her Facebook account and immediately went to her messages. For some reason, her fans didn't seem to be content with interacting with her through her official 'author' account and are adding even her personal account. _I wonder what to do about this, _Maka thought to herself. She sighed and downloaded the attachment Soul sent and began reading it.

Maka smiled. He did seem to try his hardest but, he had a few grammar errors here and there. But the reason behind the smile was mostly because it was _their story._

Somehow, Soul managed to write himself as 'Ethan', a delinquent 19 year old who stumbled upon 'Mary Kate' (that wasn't obvious… _**Ma**_ry _**Ka**_te), 18, who was dragged by her friends to some club. They became friends, soon after that, Mary Kate managed to change Ethan. He became happier because of Mary Kate and he ends up falling in love with her. She does too but Ethan's parents somehow dragged him to a place where he'll be far away from Mary Kate and the rest was simply like hers and Soul's story.

Except for the last part. After years of being apart, Ethan somehow got his life together and became a pianist. Mary Kate was a writer and she was famous. On one fateful day, they met all of a sudden and yes, they're still together. They catch up and watch a movie. They ended up doing things that they usually did back when their friendship was only starting. Maka smiled. She wished that like Ethan and Mary Kate, she and Soul would see each other soon.

The mind boggling thing about it was how the story didn't end. Soul's last paragraph ended with:

_'Ethan nervously asked her:' _

That was it.

She wondered about it and was about to call Soul but it seemed like his phone was turned off. He usually did that during the night. _Later, _Maka decided.

By night time, she was trying to contact Soul but it looked like he was called for an event again or something because he wasn't online and doesn't seem to be answering his phone.

* * *

Maka was worried about Soul since he hasn't contacted her yet and she couldn't get a hold of him but, somehow, she managed to take her mind off of things since Tsubaki asked her to come try her new coffee blend. It's been a while since Tsubaki called her to the café to actually try something new. Usually she just ordered her favorites.

Blake came in after twenty minutes, sitting in front of Maka. "Yo! How's my second favorite person in the world?" He smirked at Maka. "Tsubaki said you're coming today and since I haven't seen you in a long time, here we are! Your god has appeared before you."

The novelist rolled her eyes and scoffed at Blake who looked offended. "Fine, fine. I missed you too Blake." She said, chuckling.

"Missed me too?! I never said I missed you!" He groaned and Maka only laughed at him.

Maka's phone rang all of a sudden and she fished it out of her jeans. It was Soul. "Soul! Gosh, are you alright? I couldn't contact you last night and earlier this morning." She obviously sounded worried.

"Sorry about that, I just had to go somewhere. Anyway, what did you think of the story?" Soul asked.

Now that she was talking to Soul, she was really glad. "Well, you're really a dork for that, you know? I loved it, really but, the ending. You didn't finish it." She told him.

"Oh yeah. About that." Soul paused the cleared his throat. "I actually figured out how I want to end the story." He sounded really happy about that. Maka smiled. He really did seem into it. "So, Ethan's was gonna ask Mary Kate something, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I thought about it and you know what he's going to ask her?" Soul asked and the author waited. The door to the coffee shop opened and Maka turned to look to who just came inside. She almost dropped her phone.

There, Soul stood. He was also holding his phone by his ear and grinning at her. He slowly put his phone in his jeans, putting it inside his pockets and smiling at her. "Ethan's gonna ask Mary Kate if she will marry him." Soul said, walking towards Maka's seat. "And I will too." He knelt down on one knee and got this small box in his hands. He opened it and revealed a ring inside of it.

"Maka Albarn, I've never been sure about something in my life except for one thing and that is, I want to spend the rest of my days with you." He looked in her eyes, those beautiful green eyes he always loved to see. "Will you marry me?"

Tears had been flowing from Maka's eyes by then and she couldn't help it. Not only that Soul was there already but he was asking her to marry him. "You're a dork!" She cried out. "Yes, of course I'll marry you!" She replied to his question and he took her hand, smiling as he slid the ring on her finger. Maka immediately threw her arms around him and cried. She could hear Blake, Tsubaki and few others inside the café cheering for them.

How long has it been since Maka felt these arms? She doesn't know but after all those years, it still felt like she really belonged in Soul's arms.

"Welcome back Soul." Maka whispered.

"I'm home."

* * *

**_(A/N: Wow, this is so late. As you read, I didn't directly imply Maka and Soul as the ones going through the 'coming of age' phase. But yeah, I kind of decided that it'll be done here. I might write a follow up for this but yeah. Thank you for everyone who added this to their favorites and alerts. Also! thank you for everyone who read and review! That concludes my SoMa Week. Thanks again! Have a blast!)_**


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